The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke by Clarence James Dennis (novels to read TXT) 📖

/> Is jist like 'ers; so big an' lovin'-wise;
They carries peace an' trust where e'er they goes
An', say, the nurse she sez 'e's got my nose!

Dead ring fer me ole conk, she sez it is.
More like a blob of putty on 'is phiz,
I think. But 'e's a fair 'ard case, all right.
I'll swear I thort 'e wunk at me last night!

My wife an' fam'ly! Don't it sound all right!
That's wot I whispers to meself at night.
Some day, I s'pose, I'll learn to say it loud
An' careless; kiddin' that I don't feel proud.

My son!...If there's a Gawd 'Oos leanin' near
To watch our dilly little lives down 'ere,
'E smiles, I guess, if 'E's a lovin' one
Smiles, friendly-like, to 'ear them words--My son.



XIV. The Mooch o' Life


This ev'nin' I was sittin' wiv Doreen,
Peaceful an' 'appy wiv the day's work done,
Watchin', be'ind the orchard's bonzer green,
The flamin' wonder of the settin' sun.

Another day gone by; another night
Creepin' along to douse Day's golden light;
Another dawnin', when the night is gone,
To live an' love--an' so life mooches on.

Times I 'ave thought, when things was goin' crook,
When 'Ope turned nark an' Love forgot to smile,
Of somethin' I once seen in some old book
Where an ole sore-'ead arsts, "Is life worf w'ile?"

But in that stillness, as the day grows dim,
An' I am sittin' there wiv 'er an' 'im
My wife, my son! an' strength in me to strive,
I only know--it's good to be alive!

Yeh live, yeh love, yeh learn; an' when yeh come
To square the ledger in some thortful hour,
The everlastin' answer to the sum
Must allus be, "Where's sense in gittin' sour?"

Fer when yeh've come to weigh the good an' bad--
The gladness wiv the sadness you 'ave 'ad--
Then 'im 'oo's faith in 'uman goodness fails
Fergits to put 'is liver in the scales.

Livin' an' lovin'; learnin' day be day;
Pausin' a minute in the barmy strife
To find that 'elpin' others on the way
Is gold coined fer your profit--sich is life.

I've studied books wiv yearnings to improve,
To 'eave meself out of me lowly groove,
An' 'ere is orl the change I ever got:
"'Ark at yer 'eart, an' you kin learn the lot."

I gives it in--that wisdom o' the mind--
I wasn't built to play no lofty part.
Orl such is welkim to the joys they find;
I only know the wisdom o' the 'eart.

An' ever it 'as taught me, day be day,
The one same lesson in the same ole way:
"Look fer yer profits in the 'earts o' friends,
Fer 'atin' never paid no dividends."
Life's wot yeh make it; an' the bloke 'oo tries
To grab the shinin' stars frum out the skies
Goes crook on life, an' calls the world a cheat,
An' tramples on the daisies at 'is feet.

But when the moon comes creepin' o'er the hill,
An' when the mopoke calls along the creek,
I takes me cup o' joy an' drinks me fill,
An' arsts meself wot better could I seek.

An' ev'ry song I 'ear the thrushes sing
That everlastin' message seems to bring;
An' ev'ry wind that whispers in the trees
Gives me the tip there ain't no joys like these:

Livin' an' lovin'; wand'rin' on yer way;
Reapin' the 'arvest of a kind deed done;
An' watchin', in the sundown of yer day,
Yerself again, grown nobler in yer son.

Knowin' that ev'ry coin o' kindness spent
Bears interest in yer 'eart at cent per cent;
Measurin' wisdom by the peace it brings
To simple minds that values simple things.

An' when I take a look along the way
That I 'ave trod, it seems the man knows best,
Who's met wiv slabs of sorrer in 'is day,
When 'e is truly rich an' truly blest.

An' I am rich, becos me eyes 'ave seen
The lovelight in the eyes of my Doreen;
An' I am blest, becos me feet 'ave trod
A land 'oo's fields reflect the smile o' God.

Livin' an' lovin'; learnin' to fergive
The deeds an' words of some un'appy bloke
Who's missed the bus--so 'ave I come to live,
An' take the 'ole mad world as 'arf a joke.

Sittin' at ev'nin' in this sunset-land,
Wiv 'Er in all the World to 'old me 'and,
A son, to bear me name when I am gone....
Livin' an' lovin'--so life mooches on.



The Glossary


A.I.F.--Australian Imperial Force.
Alley, to toss in the--To give up the ghost.
Also ran, the--On the turf, horses that fail to secure a leading place;
hence, obscure persons, nonentities.
'Ammer-lock (Hammer-lock)--A favourite and effective hold in wrestling.
Ar--An exclamation expressing joy, sorrow, surprise, etc., according
to the manner of utterance.
'Ard Case (Hard Case)--A shrewd or humorous person.
'Ayseed (Hayseed)--A rustic.

Back Chat--Impudent repartee.
Back and Fill--To vacillate; to shuffle.
Back the Barrer--To intervene without invitation.
Barmy (Balmy)--Foolish; silly.
Beak--A magistrate. (Possibly from Anglo-Saxon, Beag--a magistrate.)
Beano--A feast.
Beans--Coins; money.
Beat--Puzzled; defeated.
Beat, off the---Out of the usual routine.
Beef (to beef it out)--To declaim vociferously.
Bellers (Bellows)--The lungs.
Biff--To smite.
Bird, to give the--To treat with derision.
Blighter--A worthless fellow.
Bli'me--An oath with the fangs drawn.
Blither--To talk at random, foolishly.
Blob--A shapeless mass.
Block--The head.
To lose or do in the block--To become flustered; excited; angry;
to lose confidence.
To keep the block--To remain calm; dispassionate.
Block, the--A fashionable city walk.
Bloke--A male adult of the genus homo.
Blubber, blub--To weep.
Bluff--Cunning practice; make believe. v. To deceive; to mislead.
Bob--A shilling.
Bokays--Compliments, flattery.
Boko--The nose.
Bong-tong--Patrician (Fr. Bon ton).
Bonzer, boshter, bosker--Adjectives expressing the superlative of
excellence.
Boodle--Money; wealth.
Book--A bookie, q.v.
Bookie--A book-maker (turf); one who makes a betting book on sporting
events.
Boot, to put in the--To kick a prostrate foe.
Boss--Master, employer.
Break (to break away, to do a break)--To depart in haste.
Breast up to--To accost.
Brisket--The chest.
Brown--A copper coin.
Brums--Tawdry finery (From Brummagem--Birmingham).
Buckley's (Chance)--A forlorn hope.
Buck-up--Cheer up.
Bump--To meet; to accost aggressively.
Bun, to take the--To take the prize (used ironically).
Bundle, to drop the--To surrender; to give up hope.
Bunk--To sleep in a "bunk" or rough bed.
To do a bunk--To depart. Bunnies, to hawk the--To peddle rabbits.
Bus, to miss the--To neglect opportunities.

Caboose--A small dwelling.
Carlton--A Melbourne Football Team.
Cat, to whip the--To cry over spilt milk; i.e. to whip the cat that
has spilt the milk.
C.B.--Confined to barracks.
Cert--A certainty; a foregone conclusion.
Champeen--Champion.
Chase yourself--Depart; avaunt; "fade away," q.v.
Chat--To address tentatively; to "word" q.v.
Cheque, to pass in one's--To depart this life.
Chest, to get it off one's--To deliver a speech; express one's feelings.
Chew, to chew it over; to chew the rag--To sulk; to nurse a grievance.
Chiack--Vulgar banter; coarse invective.
Chin--To talk; to wag the chin.
Chip--To "chat," q.v.
Chip in--To intervene.
Chiv--The face.
Chow--A native of far Cathay.
Chuck up--To relinquish.
Chuck off--To chaff; to employ sarcasm.
Chump--A foolish fellow.
Chunk--A lump; a mass.
Clean--Completely; utterly.
Click--A clique; a "push," q.v.
Cliner--A young unmarried female.
Clobber--Raiment; vesture.
Cobber--A boon companion.
Collect--To receive one's deserts.
Colour-line--In pugilism, the line drawn by white boxers excluding
coloured fighters--for divers reasons.
Conk--The nose.
Coot--A person of no account (used contemptuously).
Cop--To seize; to secure; also s. An avocation, a "job."
Cop (or Copper)--A police constable.
Copper-top--Red head.
Copper show--A copper mine.
Count, to take the--In pugilism, to remain prostrate for ten
counted seconds, and thus lose the fight.
Cove--A "chap" or "bloke," q.v. (Gipsy).
Cow--A thoroughly unworthy, not to say despicable, person, place,
thing, or circumstance.
A fair cow--An utterly obnoxious and otherwise unexpressible person,
place, thing, or circumstance.
Crack--To smite. s. A blow.
Crack a boo--To divulge a secret; to betray emotion.
Crack hardy--To suppress emotion; to endure patiently; to keep a secret.
Cray--A crayfish.
Crib--A dwelling.
Croak--To die.
Crook--A dishonest or evil person.
Crook--Unwell; dishonest; spurious; fraudulent. Superlative, Dead Crook.
Crool (cruel) the pitch--To frustrate; to interfere with one's
schemes or welfare.
Crust--Sustenance; a livelihood:
Cut it out--Omit it; discontinue it.

Dago--A native of Southern Europe.
Dash, to do-one's--To reach one's Waterloo.
Date--An appointment.
Dawg (dog)--A contemptible person; ostentation.
To put on dawg--To behave in an arrogant manner.
Dead--In a superlative degree; very.
Deal--To deal it out; to administer punishment, abuse, etc.
Deener--A shilling (Fr. Denier. Denarius, a Roman silver coin).
Derry--An aversion; a feud; a dislike.
Dickin--A term signifying disgust or disbelief.
Dile (dial)--The face.
Dilly--Foolish; half-witted.
Ding Dong--Strenuous.
Dinkum--Honest; true. "The Dinkum Oil."--The truth.
Dirt--Opprobrium, a mean speech or action.
Dirty left--A formidable left fist.
Divvies--Dividends; profits.
Dizzy limit--The utmost; the superlative degree.
Do in--To defeat; to kill; to spend.
Done me luck--Lost my good fortune.
Dope--A drug; adulterated liquor. v. To administer drugs.
Dot in the eye, to--To strike in the eye.
Douse--To extinguish (Anglo-Saxon).
Drive a quill--To write with a pen; to work in an office.
Duck, to do a--See "break."
Duds--Personal apparel (Scotch).
Dunno--Do not know.
Dutch--German; any native of Central Europe.

'Eads (Heads)--The authorities; inner council.
'Eadin'--"Heading browns"; tossing pennies.
'Ead over Turkey--Head over heels.
'Ead Serang--The chief; the leader.
'Eavyweight--A boxer of the