Page 25 - Poetry-Whimsy

And when a dreadful storm came up,
The ship it did go down.

VI. In which the hero finds a coign of vantage—a chicken-
coop of safety, so to speak—and is safely delivered of a sage
reflection.

And Jack swam to a tiny skiff,
With many a thought of Molly;
He did not hesitate to say,
The boat was not so jolly.

VII. In which a second and even more apt comparison is
ventured on by the author, between the former occupation
and present unfortunate situation of the hero.

And Jack soon saw to steer the boat,
Would cause to him much toil;
The tiller that he knows the best,
Is a tiller of the soil.

VIII. In which the hero deserts the sea for the land.

At last on the rocks the boat did strike,
But Johnson did not drown;
On land he’s cast up by the sea,
And is no more cast down.

IX. In which the reader may reasonably expect to find
something exciting, but is disappointed; for the effect of the
stanza is, on the contrary, soothing.

On shore he toiled in the hot, hot sun,
Until his hands were brown;
Though he lay down upon his bed,
‘Twas not a bed of down.

X. In which relief arrives at last.

But one fine morn, Jack Johnson, Brave,
The hero of my tale

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