[BNP/E3, 791 – 8-9]
Dirty Day
Correct!
|This is a story illustrating
The character of poor mankind
I do not think it bears debate.|
In a certain nation which of course
I shall not mention to make worse
The story I am going to tell
A certain man whose brain on Hell
Might seem to souls who see not well
Who was the member of a government
Forged and counted and put into movement
A law whose {…} thus did say:
In the while year there would one day
Be set apart for a strange thing:
And on that day, from beggar to king,
The nation all, and every sex {…}
Could I (oh corrupt invention dire!)
Use the most coarsest words that they
Could find, could forge could fashion
Above obscenity, word-mire.
Horror {…} I vituperation.
The man called this day Dirty Day.
[8v]
The Custom has in a † a bit
But soon {…}
It was defended with good reasons
In winter sun {…} and in all seasons
Many did wonder wasted and stricken
And many said it unclutched sicken
For everything can be defended
A man gets crammed with cupid things
Which like the water soak him through
Upon that blèssed day
His legs with {…} wings
The Clout of his {…} thus watered
Than those that the † man who fathered
The hill defended it
That was the day when he could speak them
The other days as usual is
And natural he could not wreak them
‘Tis a nice[1] measure {…} did say
The minister who bought it
This † of a Dirty Day
Has this effect: People will swear not
People will curse not nor be lewd
They will not be obscenely modern
They from their lips word will… not
Which are to ears or to eyes made.
But they will all await the coming
Of this day to burst out quite fully
To give good vent to the humming
And so, while this wise bill appears
As my song with bright fears
To be immoral, ‘tis quite false
‘Tis quite the contrary
When the day comes[2]; but ‘tis a day
And Time – alas! {…} swift goes my {…}
All will relapse with a pure greatness
But a deeper, sure sedateness
And all after seeing the cloth
† through of theirs will feel a at peace,
{…} nor bad nor revolt
While may think this †
† will diminish swearing.
[9r]
The hill became in time a land,
And this was what the Minister said:
When the day came ‘tis awful, horrid
It made a |*longer| face feel torrid
But when at last it went away
(Oh disillusion sad and drear)
All th’other days in the whole year
The people spent their time (they say)
|In telling one to each other|
The law against that was not made. -?
|What they had said on Dirty day|
15/8/07. Alexander Search.
[9v]
Sponge and soaking the floor
[1] ‘Tis a nice /Upon the ears of\
[2] comes /goes\
