A Recap of the News of 1810, here and abroad, in Poetry

Henry Livingston Website ^ | 1 January 1811 | Henry Livingston

[mairdie]

News boys would traditionally exchange a poetic summary of the year's news for a tip on New Year's. It was commonly a separately printed sheet, though it would occasionally appear within the newspaper, itself. Henry Livingston wrote these for local New York newspapers between 1787 and 1823. As always, his name is never attached to his work. In these cases, he always used the name of the newsboy.

[mairdie]

Young Misses have their Valentine,
On which to speak as well as shine:
Grave Matrons, on their Lady day,
Hold ev'ry where unbridled sway;
And junior Typos have their hour,
Of fuss, parade and puny pow'r.

Not loveliest morn of lovely June,
With all its music and perfume,
Can view with New-Year's chearful gleam,
Tho' shorn the meads, and froze the stream.

Adieu this day, to groaning screws,
Black balls, cold types and thrice told news.
Melodious sounds invite me here,
And dear cockanie tempts me there;
That basket bursts with luscious pies
And there, the golden pippin lies:
The cider mantles in the glass,
And brisk the cups of porter pass.
He must [xx], or less,
That can unmoved see all this:
I too will join the throng and taste,
--But--check this wild ungovern'd hast[e];
Regardless both of cake and beauty,
Bow to your PATRONS as in duty.

I stand repov'd -- to you, and you,
I tender ev'ry homage due.
Sages and Matrons -- live to see,
Your children's children climb the knee --
Your sons, may wealth and honors grace,
And beauty bloom in each Girl's face.

Ye hapless swains who lovely roam
And never enter'd Hymen's dome,
Before this new-born year is o'er
Be wise, and wed, and err no more.

And ye fair maidens, lovely train!
Bloom not like flow'rs on rocks, in vain;
To hymen's sacred bowers press
And being blessed, doubly bless.

**************

My greetings well over -- let's light our cigars
And talk of Europa, its squabbles and wars.
In the front rank of carnage conspicuous is seen
That scourge of mankind the accurst Napoleon;
Like a comet erratic he shines but to burn,
From the glare of his splendour palid virtue must turn;
The nations around him submissively bend,
Look pale at his frown and each mandate attend.

Great Britain alone has the javelin hurl'd,
Stop't the torrent of death, and kep't Hope in the world;
May her arm energetic, grow stronger and stronger,
Till the Demon of Corsica rages no longer.

Deceived, betrayed, and much injur'd Spain
Resisted alas ! but resisted in vain :
The struggle ne'er over, while panting for breath,
She frowns on her murderer even in death.

The Portuguese cup of distress overflows!
Expiring she lies in the midst of her foes:
One friend for a moment, averts the dread blow,
And sheds a kind tear at her sad overthrow.

Batavia is lost and her name is no more;
Her page from the volume of nations is tore:
Her Tromps and her Evertsons triumph'd in vain,
For gone is the nations, its virtues and fame.

The Germanic Eagle no longer will soar,
He grovels in dust, to be heard of no more.

The sceptre of Vasa a Gallic hand grasps,
And old Swedish glory in agony gasps.

E'en the monarch of Russia enthroned on snow
Sets the deluge advance with an aspect of woe.
And hopes by submission to ward off the blow.
His meanness a few coward moments may gain,
But sooner or later his doom is a chain.

The Turk with his turban, his sofa and pipe,
For his last degradation already is ripe;
Like the Greek he once vanquish'd, he sinks in disgrace,
Forgot his past valor his name and his place.

My long tale of mischiefs is now nearly o'er;
I'll only just mention one tragedy more:
--This greatest of Merces, this Chief of renown,
Who sets monarchs up and who pulls monarchs down,
Can boast at the close of a prodigy life,
That he grappled in battle and conquer'd -- HIS WIFE.

**************

My country kind patrons, my country's a theme,
On which I can prattle, and scribble, and dream,
In rapture forever -- Hail land of my birth!
The far happiest portion of this lovely earth;
A grace and a majesty marks every feature
And stamps Thee the fav'rite and darling of nature.

No despot of Europe shall mar thy fair face,
Thy heroes can never endure the disgrace;
Those heroes who once chas'd thy foes to the main,
Will combat and conquer again and again.

Thy statesmen mayhap, like the rest of mankind,
May now and then prove to thy interest blind;
But the mass of thy children are fill'd with a spirit
That will always secure the fair soil they inherit.

Sounds of music strike my ear!
There, my joyous Chums appear,
Beck'ning me to come away
Joining in their festive play.
Happy boys -- the dance is in it
If you cannot wait one minute,
See my patron with good nature,
Smiling on my New-Year's paper
See his hand, already FUMBLING!
Soon the shiners will be TUMBLING.
Bless your honour -- Now my hearties,
I'll be one in all your parties.

LONG LIVE THE REPUBLIC!!!

Right-click View Image for larger image

[mairdie]

PING

[MuttTheHoople]

Abe Lincoln was a baby

Robert E. Lee was a toddler.

[mairdie]

That’s a marvelous way to timeline history. I’ve never thought of doing that. You’re rather brilliant!

[mairdie]

George Washington had been dead 12 years.

[ADemocratNoMore]

My apologies but I have a proclivity of taking liberties somewhat liberally with other people’s work so I did a little mash-up...

Thirty five years on from the birth of our nation

A Patriot wrote deep thoughts, not mindless prattle.

Dreams of his country were his overall theme,

Reading him now prove his thoughts were not addled.

“In rapture forever — Hail land of my birth!

The far happiest portion of this lovely earth;

A grace and a majesty marks every feature

And stamps Thee the fav’rite and darling of nature.”

Two hundred years later some short cogitation

Proves how fresh and still true is the author’s narration.

While the world has changed much, the sentiment stands

The beacon of Freedom shines through the land.

“Today despots rule ‘cross the face of the planet,

Sworn enemies of the Land of the Free

Yet their iron fists shall ne’er mar thy fair face,

Our heroes will never endure such disgrace;

Those heroes who once chas’d thy foes to the main,

Will combat and conquer again and again.”

“Thy statesmen mayhap, like the rest of mankind,

May now and then prove to thy interest blind;

But the mass of thy children are fill’d with a spirit

That will always secure the fair soil they inherit.”

Not just for our own soul I’m so proud to say,

But I can’t say it better than a former foe.

A Gulf War ally, but back in the day,

A loyal Communist till Albania said “No !”

“The United States of America has been willing to pay,

The price (of it’s dead) in order to free the oppressed,

Even in states that have sought its harm.”

Britian, Germany, Japan and others,

After many decades have turned from enemies to brothers.

The words of a long dead Patriot stand side by side

With our Constitution, law of the land.

Light undimmed by the century, United we stand !

[ADemocratNoMore]

OOPS !

The word soul in this line...

Not just for our own soul I’m so proud to say,

Should read soil, as in...

Not just for our own soil I’m so proud to say,

[ADemocratNoMore]

Caught another one - last line, century should be plural.

Oh well, you should have seen it before I proofed it.

Forget the first version, try this...

Thirty five years on from the birth of our nation

A Patriot wrote deep thoughts, not mindless prattle.

Dreams of his country were his overall theme,

Reading him now prove his thoughts were not addled.

“In rapture forever — Hail land of my birth!

The far happiest portion of this lovely earth;

A grace and a majesty marks every feature

And stamps Thee the fav’rite and darling of nature.”

Two hundred years later some short cogitation

Proves how fresh and still true is the author’s narration.

While the world has changed much, the sentiment stands

The beacon of Freedom shines through the land.

“Today despots rule ‘cross the face of the planet,

Sworn enemys of the Land of the Free

Yet their iron fists shall ne’er mar thy fair face,

Our heroes will never endure such disgrace;

Those heroes who once chas’d thy foes to the main,

Will combat and conquer again and again.”

“Thy statesmen mayhap, like the rest of mankind,

May now and then prove to thy interest blind;

But the mass of thy children are fill’d with a spirit

That will always secure the fair soil they inherit.”

Not just for our own soil I’m so proud to say,

But I can’t say it better than a former foe.

A Gulf War ally, but back in the day,

A loyal Communist till Albania said “No !”

“The United States of America has been willing to pay,

The price (of it’s dead) in order to free the oppressed,

Even in states that have sought its harm.”

Britian, Germany, Japan and others,

After many decades have turned from enemys to brothers.

The words of a long dead Patriot stand side by side

With our Constiturion, law of the land.

Light undimmed by the centuries, United we stand !

[mairdie]

I’m still recovering.

THIS is what it’s all about for me. History. The connection to US. To what we feel. To what we believe. Those people who fought that fight, who cared enough to risk their lives to make live something that did not exist. You can read their words, but they’re often stuffy and hard to work your way through. But POETRY. That cuts right to the core of a person. That’s why I read it and care about it. And you’ve done EXACTLY what I think OUGHT to be done with historic poetry. You’ve turned it into today and made it apply.

Mashup is far too light and trivial a word to use to explain how you appropriate and then modify and make significant.

Beloved, THAT is what art is about. That’s what I TRY, sometimes poorly, with my music videos to do.

So, now I have to figure out how to preserve what you’re doing and give it a larger audience.