Browning's Shorter Poems. Robert Browning

Or, sure as fate, we'll send you packing!"

       At this the Mayor and Corporation

       Quaked with a mighty consternation.

      IV

      An hour they sat in council;[page 3]

       At length the Mayor broke silence:

       "For a guilder I'd my ermine gown sell,

       I wish I were a mile hence!

       It's easy to bid one rack one's brain—

       40I'm sure my poor head aches again,

       I've scratched it so, and all in vain.

       Oh for a trap, a trap, a trap!"

       Just as he said this, what should hap

       At the chamber door but a gentle tap?

       "Bless us," cried the Mayor, "what's that?"

       (With the Corporation as he sat,

       Looking little, though wondrous fat;

       Nor brighter was his eye, nor moister

       Than a too-long-opened oyster,

       50Save when at noon his paunch grew mutinous

       For a plate of turtle, green and glutinous)

       "Only a scraping of shoes on the mat?

       Anything like the sound of a rat

       Makes my heart go pit-a-pat!"

      V

      "Come in!"—the Mayor cried, looking bigger:[page 4]

       And in did come the strangest figure!

       His queer long coat from heel to head

       Was half of yellow and half of red,

       And he himself was tall and thin,

       60With sharp blue eyes, each like a pin,

       With light loose hair, yet swarthy skin,

       No tuft on cheek, nor beard on chin,

       But lips where smiles went out and in;

       There was no guessing his kith and kin:

       And nobody could enough admire

       The tall man and his quaint attire.

       Quoth one: "It's as my great grandsire,

       Starting up at the Trump of Doom's tone,

       Had walked his way from his painted tombstone!"

      VI

       70He advanced to the council-table:

       And, "Please your honors," said he, "I'm able,

       By means of a secret charm, to draw

       All creatures living beneath the sun,

       That creep or swim or fly or run,

       After me so as you never saw!

       And I chiefly use my charm[page 5]

       On creatures that do people harm,

       The mole and toad and newt and viper;

       And people call me the Pied Piper."

       80(And here they noticed round his neck

       A scarf of red and yellow stripe,

       To match with his coat of self-same cheque:

       And at the scarf's end hung a pipe;

       And his fingers, they noticed, were ever straying,

       As if impatient to be playing

       Upon this pipe, as low it dangled

       Over his vesture so old-fangled.)

       "Yet," said he, "poor piper as I am,

       °89In Tartary I freed the Cham,° 90Last June, from his huge swarms of gnats; °91I eased in Asia the Nizam° Of a monstrous brood of vampire-bats: And as for what your brain bewilders, If I can rid your town of rats Will you give me a thousand guilders?" "One? fifty thousand!"—was the exclamation Of the astonished Mayor and Corporation.

      [page 6]

      VII

      Into the street the Piper stept,

       Smiling first a little smile,

       100As if he knew what magic slept

       In his quiet pipe the while:

       Then, like a musical adept,

       To blow the pipe his lips he wrinkled,

       And green and blue his sharp eyes twinkled,

       Like a candle-flame where salt is sprinkled;

       And ere three shrill notes the pipe uttered,

       You heard as if an army muttered:

       And the muttering grew to a grumbling;

       And the grumbling grew to a mighty rumbling;

       110And out of the houses the rats came tumbling.

       Great rats, small rats, lean rats, brawny rats,

       Brown rats, black rats, gray rats, tawny rats,

       Grave old plodders, gay young friskers,

       Fathers, mothers, uncles, cousins,

       Cocking tails and pricking whiskers,

       Families by tens and dozens,

       Brothers, sisters, husbands, wives—

       Followed the Piper for their lives.

       From street to street he piped advancing,

       120And step for step they followed dancing,

       Until they came to the river Weser,

       Wherein all plunged and perished![page 7]

      —Save one, who, stout as Julius Cæsar,

       Swam across and lived to carry

       (As he, the manuscript he cherished)

       To Rat-land home his commentary:

       Which was: "At the first shrill notes of the pipe,

       I heard a sound as of scraping tripe,

       And putting apples, wondrous ripe,

       130Into a cider press's gripe;

       And a moving away of pickle-tub-boards,

       And a leaving ajar of conserve-cupboards,

       And a drawing the corks of train-oil-flasks,

       And a breaking the hoops of butter-casks:

       And it seemed as if a voice

       (Sweeter far than by harp or by psaltery

       Is breathed) called out, 'Oh, rats, rejoice!

       The world is grown to one vast drysaltery!

       So munch on, crunch on, take your nuncheon,

       140Breakfast, supper, dinner, luncheon!'

       And just as a bulky sugar-puncheon,

       Already staved, like a great sun shone

       Glorious scarce an inch before me,

       Just as methought it said, 'Come, bore me!'

      —I found the Weser rolling o'er me."

      [page 8]

      VIII

      You should have heard the Hamelin people

       Ringing the bells till they rocked the steeple.

       "Go," cried the Mayor, "and get long poles,

       Poke out the nests and block up the holes!

       150Consult with