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Title: Song Of Bells
Author: John Kendall [
More Titles by Kendall]
Allons! Allons! Tra-la-la! Hear my Bellata!
Why do you not return to Mandalay O soldier?
Do you not remember the boats, and the paddles as they chunked
outside the boats?
Do you not remember the elephants, the mighty elephants, strong,
mysterious, impalpable (no, not impalpable), pachydermatous, and
the extraordinary accuracy with which they succeeded in balancing
trees or parts of trees, branches, logs, beams, planks, ...
etc., ... with their trunks (the beams carefully supported at their
centre of gravity, the logs carefully supported at their centre of
gravity, the elephants without a smile at their centre of
gravity)
From Rangoon to Mandalay?
For--
On the road to Mandalay the flying-fishes play,
But there are no omnibuses to ply.
Is there not a thirst here, and are there any ten commandments?
O you commandments! you first, second, third ... and tenth
commandments!
What has Mandalay to do with you, and what have you to do with
Mandalay?
Ha! What is that?
Is it a sound, is it the thunder, the sudden thunder, strepitant,
tonant?
Is it the midday (twelve o'clock) cannon?
No!
Is it not then the ocean, the storm of the ocean?
Divil a bit!
Return, return then O soldiers,
Return, you that have been discharged with pensions, as time-expired
men, or as incorrigible and worthless,
Return, for it is the dawn, and it is calling to you as it comes up
from China,
Though why from China do you ask me?
Then ask me another!
[The end]
John Kendall's poem: Song Of Bells
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