1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
|
*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 45921 ***
Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this
file which includes the original illustration.
See 45921-h.htm or 45921-h.zip:
(http://www.gutenberg.org/files/45921/45921-h/45921-h.htm)
or
(http://www.gutenberg.org/files/45921/45921-h.zip)
Images of the original pages are available through
Internet Archive. See
https://archive.org/details/mahoganytree00thacrich
THE MAHOGANY TREE
[Illustration: _This characteristic picture of the author of "The
Mahogany Tree" is reproduced from a drawing made by the distinguished
illustrator, Mr. Edmund Dulac, for the cover of the menu of a dinner
of the Titmarsh Club of London. It is reprinted here by Mr. Dulac's
very kind permission._]
THE MAHOGANY TREE
by
WILLIAM MAKEPEACE THACKERAY
New York
Privately Printed
Christmas 1910
The Mahogany Tree
_"Some years since" said Thackeray in a public speech, "when I was
younger, and used to frequent jolly assemblies, I wrote a Bacchanalian
song to be chanted after dinner;" and a contemporary record has
preserved a note of "the radiant gratification of his face whilst
Horace Mayhew sang The Mahogany Tree, perhaps the finest and most
soul-stirring of Thackeray's social songs."_
_In seeking a Souvenir of this Christmas season the ballad of "The
Mahogany Tree" lends itself most felicitously to the present purpose
which is to_
"--_wish you health, and love and mirth,
As fits the solemn Christmas-tide_."
_Putting aside for an hour the affairs of a work-a-day world, let us
take our places around the convivial board, on the time-stained surface
of which we may find in fancy the initials of so many boon companions
of other days cut deep._
_It is pleasant to sport "round the stem of the jolly old tree" in
congenial company, and to renew our youth at the bidding of this
gracious Toastmaster, the centennial of whose birth we shall celebrate
presently; the anniversary of whose death was yester-e'en._
_But while remembering that we shall be none the worse tomorrow for
having been happy today, we are not permitted to forget entirely the
Blue-devil Sprite that awaits the dawn. The play-spell is over; the
lights are out in Vanity Fair; and here in Mr. Dulac's drawing is
the leader of our Christmas Chorus as he shuts up the box and the
puppets--"for our play is played out."_
_C. M. F._
_Christmas 1910._
THE MAHOGANY TREE
Christmas is here:
Winds whistle shrill,
Icy and chill,
Little care we:
Little we fear
Weather without,
Sheltered about
The Mahogany Tree
Once on the boughs
Birds of rare plume
Sang, in its bloom;
Night-birds are we:
Here we carouse,
Singing like them,
Perched round the stem
Of the jolly old tree.
Here let us sport,
Boys, as we sit;
Laughter and wit
Flashing so free.
Life is but short--
When we are gone,
Let them sing on
Round the old tree.
Evenings we knew,
Happy as this;
Faces we miss,
Pleasant to see.
Kind hearts and true,
Gentle and just,
Peace to your dust!
We sing round the tree.
Care, like a dun,
Lurks at the gate:
Let the dog wait;
Happy we'll be!
Drink, every one;
Pile up the coals,
Fill the red bowls,
Round the old tree!
Drain we the cup--
Friend, art afraid?
Spirits are laid
In the Red Sea.
Mantle it up;
Empty it yet;
Let us forget,
Round the old tree.
Sorrows, begone!
Life and its ills,
Duns and their bills,
Bid we to flee.
Come with the dawn,
Blue-devil sprite.
Leave us to-night,
Round the old tree.
OF THIS BOOK 200 COPIES WERE
PRINTED FOR THOMAS NAST
FAIRBANKS BY HAL MARCHBANKS
IN DECEMBER 1910
* * * * * *
Transcriber's note:
There were no changes made by the transcriber.
*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 45921 ***
|
