Mandalay
By the old Moulmein Pagoda, lookin' eastward to the sea,
There's a Burma girl a-settin', and I know she thinks o' me;
For the wind is in the palm-trees, and the temple-bells they say:
"Come you back, you British soldier; come you back to Mandalay!"
Come you back to Mandalay,
Where the old Flotilla lay:
Can't you 'ear their paddles chunkin' from Rangoon to Mandalay?
On the road to Mandalay,
Where the flyin'-fishes play,
An' the dawn comes up like thunder outer China 'crost the Bay!
'Er petticoat was yaller an' 'er little cap was green,
An' 'er name was Supi-yaw-lat -- jes' the same as Theebaw's Queen,
An' I seed her first a-smokin' of a whackin' white cheroot,
An' a-wastin' Christian kisses on an 'eathen idol's foot:
Bloomin' idol made o'mud --
Wot they called the Great Gawd Budd --
Plucky lot she cared for idols when I kissed 'er where she stud!
On the road to Mandalay . . .
When the mist was on the rice-fields an' the sun was droppin' slow,
She'd git 'er little banjo an' she'd sing "~Kulla-lo-lo!~"
With 'er arm upon my shoulder an' 'er cheek agin' my cheek
We useter watch the steamers an' the ~hathis~ pilin' teak.
Elephints a-pilin' teak
In the sludgy, squdgy creek,
Where the silence 'ung that 'eavy you was 'arf afraid to speak!
On the road to Mandalay . . .
But that's all shove be'ind me -- long ago an' fur away,
An' there ain't no 'busses runnin' from the Bank to Mandalay;
An' I'm learnin' 'ere in London what the ten-year soldier tells:
"If you've 'eard the East a-callin', you won't never 'eed naught else."
No! you won't 'eed nothin' else
But them spicy garlic smells,
An' the sunshine an' the palm-trees an' the tinkly temple-bells;
On the road to Mandalay . . .
I am sick o' wastin' leather on these gritty pavin'-stones,
An' the blasted Henglish drizzle wakes the fever in my bones;
Tho' I walks with fifty 'ousemaids outer Chelsea to the Strand,
An' they talks a lot o' lovin', but wot do they understand?
Beefy face an' grubby 'and --
Law! wot do they understand?
I've a neater, sweeter maiden in a cleaner, greener land!
On the road to Mandalay . . .
Ship me somewheres east of Suez, where the best is like the worst,
Where there aren't no Ten Commandments an' a man can raise a thirst;
For the temple-bells are callin', an' it's there that I would be --
By the old Moulmein Pagoda, looking lazy at the sea;
On the road to Mandalay,
Where the old Flotilla lay,
With our sick beneath the awnings when we went to Mandalay!
On the road to Mandalay,
Where the flyin'-fishes play,
An' the dawn comes up like thunder outer China 'crost the Bay!
poem by Rudyard Kipling
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Related quotes
Mandalay
I traced the footsteps through the multi-colored avenues
That wind their way down to the sea
I see the birds that fly beneath the darkened sky
They are the messengers of dreams
Mandalay, now I know what you try to be
Mandalay, now I wish you were here with me
Pages filled with science fiction
Without fear of contradiction
Walking through the fields of evergreen
I see a turn and walk away
And from the east there comes a breeze
That flows up high into the blue
Mandalay, now I know what you try to be
Mandalay, now I wish you were here with me
The sound of retribution
In total disillusion, mandalay
Mandalay, now I know what you try to be
Mandalay, now I wish you were here with me
Admidst the confusion
The only conclusion
Mandalay of the misty eyes
Have gazed into the coming door
The leaves that turn to gold and brown
Ive watched them falling to the ground
Mandalay, now I know what you try to be
Mandalay, now I wish you were here with me
song performed by by Electric Light Orchestra
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Philip Le Barr
Philip Le Barr,
Was knock down by a car,
On the road to Mandalay.
He was knocked down again
By a dust cart in Spain
And again in Zanzibar.
So,
He travled at night
In the pale moon light
Away from the traffic growl
But terrible luck
He was hit by a duck
Driven by an owl.
poem by Spike Milligan
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Not Guilty
Not guilty
For getting in your way
While you're trying to steal the day.
Not guilty
And i'm not here for the rest,
I'm not trying to steal your vest.
I am not trying to be smart,
I only want what i can get.
I'm really sorry for your ageing head.
But like you heard me said:
Not guilty.
No use handing me a writ
While i'm trying to do my bit.
I don't expect to take your heart.
I only want what i can get.
I'm really sorry that you're underfed.
But like you heard me said:
Not guilty.
Not guilty
For looking like a freak,
Making friends with every sikh.
Not guilty
For leading you astray
On the road to mandalay.
I won't upset the apple cart.
I only want what i can get.
I'm really sorry that you've been misled.
But like you heard me said:
Not guilty.
song performed by by Beatles
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Not Guilty
Not guilty
For getting in your way
While youre trying to steal the day
Not guilty
And Im not here for the rest
Im not trying to steal your vest.
I am not trying to be smart
I only want what I can get
Im really sorry for your ageing head
But like you heard me said
Not guilty.
Not guilty
For being on your street
Getting underneath your feet
Not guilty
No use handing me a writ
While Im trying to do my bit.
I dont expect to take your heart . . .
I only want what I can get
Im really sorry that youre underfed . . .
But like you heard me said . . .
Not guilty.
Not guilty
For looking like a freak
Making friends with every sikh
Not guilty
For leading you astray
On the road to mandalay.
I wont upset the apple cart
I only want what I can get
Im really sorry that youve been misled . . .
But like you heard me said . . .
Not guilty.
song performed by by George Harrison
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Mountains Of Burma
The tucker box is empty now, the heart of kellys country cleared
The gangers on the southern line, like the steam trains have disappeared
Pelicans glide, miracles up in the sky
We vote for the government, with axes in his eyes
Mountains of burma, the road to mandalay
In the mountains of burma, light years away, mountains of burma
Will the sons of solidarity, still march on may day
And will the sisters of the seventies, still fight for equal pay
Theres no on eon the reeperbahn, no more blankets handed out for land
We feed an economy, thats got blood on its hands
Mountains of burma...
Pack your bags full of guns and ammunition
Bills fall due for the industrial revolution
Scorch the earth till the earth surrenders
Soldiers of armies, storm empty fields
In a travellers trance, on the way to the high frontier
Sleepwalkers stumble, cable cars run aground
Imaginary enemies, form high above the clouds
In the mountains of burma...
(hirst)
song performed by by Midnight Oil
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Road To Mandalay
Save me from drowning in the sea
Beat me up on the beach
What a lovely holiday
Theres nothing funny left to say
This sombre song would drain the sun
But it wont shine until its sung
No water running in the stream
The saddest place weve ever been
Everything I touched was golden
Everything I loved got broken
On the road to mandalay
Every mistake ive ever made
Has been rehashed and then replayed
As I got lost along the way
Theres nothing left for you to give
The truth is all that youre left with
Twenty places then at dawn
We will die and be reborn
I like to sleep beneath the trees
Have the universe at one with me
Look down the barrel of a gun
And feel the moon replace the sun
Everything weve ever stolen
Has been lost returned or broken
No more dragons left to slay
Every mistake ive ever made
Has been rehashed and then replayed
As I got lost along the way
Save me from drowning in the sea
Beat me up on the beach
What a lovely holiday
Theres nothing funny left to say
song performed by by Robbie Williams
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Soldier, Soldier
"Soldier, soldier come from the wars,
Why don't you march with my true love?"
"We're fresh from off the ship an' 'e's maybe give the slip,
An' you'd best go look for a new love."
New love! True love!
Best go look for a new love,
The dead they cannot rise, an' you'd better dry your eyes,
An' you'd best go look for a new love.
"Soldier, soldier come from the wars,
What did you see o' my true love?"
"I seed 'im serve the Queen in a suit o' rifle-green,
An' you'd best go look for a new love."
"Soldier, soldier come from the wars,
Did ye see no more o' my true love?"
"I seed 'im runnin' by when the shots begun to fly --
But you'd best go look for a new love."
"Soldier, soldier come from the wars,
Did aught take 'arm to my true love?"
"I couldn't see the fight, for the smoke it lay so white --
An' you'd best go look for a new love."
"Soldier, soldier come from the wars,
I'll up an' tend to my true love!"
"'E's lying on the dead with a bullet through 'is 'ead,
An' you'd best go look for a new love."
"Soldier, soldier come from the wars,
I'll down an' die with my true love!"
"The pit we dug'll 'ide 'im an' the twenty men beside 'im --
An' you'd best go look for a new love."
"Soldier, soldier come from the wars,
Do you bring no sign from my true love?"
"I bring a lock of 'air that 'e allus used to wear,
An' you'd best go look for a new love."
"Soldier, soldier come from the wars,
O then I know it's true I've lost my true love!"
"An' I tell you truth again -- when you've lost the feel o' pain
You'd best take me for your true love."
True love! New love!
Best take 'im for a new love,
The dead they cannot rise, an' you'd better dry your eyes,
An' you'd best take 'im for your true love.
poem by Rudyard Kipling
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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September 1961
This is the year the old ones,
the old great ones
leave us alone on the road.
The road leads to the sea.
We have the words in our pockets,
obscure directions. The old ones
have taken away the light of their presence,
we see it moving away over a hill
off to one side.
They are not dying,
they are withdrawn
into a painful privacy
learning to live without words.
E. P. "It looks like dying"-Williams: "I can't
describe to you what has been
happening to me"-
H. D. "unable to speak."
The darkness
twists itself in the wind, the stars
are small, the horizon
ringed with confused urban light-haze.
They have told us
the road leads to the sea,
and given
the language into our hands.
We hear
our footsteps each time a truck
has dazzled past us and gone
leaving us new silence.
Ine can't reach
the sea on this endless
road to the sea unless
one turns aside at the end, it seems,
follows
the owl that silently glides above it
aslant, back and forth,
and away into deep woods.
But for usthe road
unfurls itself, we count the
words in our pockets, we wonder
how it will be without them, we don't
stop walking, we know
there is far to go, sometimes
we think the night wind carries
a smell of the sea...
poem by Denise Levertov
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Big World
Looking over hong kong harbour
Throw a shrimp in yellow wine
Eat it when it ceases moving
Just before is fine too
There's an ancient chinese saying
Always seems to slip my mind
Does it really die with honour
Does it really matter
It's a big world - so much to do
Sitting on a beach in bali
Tried to reach and grab a cloud
Looked so much like cotton candy
And i'm feeling god-like
Could it be just what i'm eating
Only mushrooms after all
And with juice of avocado
I should live forever
It's a big world - so much to see much
Sitting on the floor in kyoto
Marvel at the latest catch
Eat it as soon as you are able
Quick before they cook it
There's an eyeball staring at me
And i know i've met my match
Do i eat or am i eaten
It's a new adventure
It's a big world - so much to do
It's a big world - so much to see
From the leningradsky prospekt
On the road to mandalay
There's a new intoxication
Hits you just as you're leaving
Caf sur les champs-elyses
Baklava in istanbul
Smoke a pipe in casablanca
Question all you believe in
It's a big world - so much to do
It's a big world - so much to see
And plenty of room for me and you
song performed by by Joe Jackson
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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There was one I met upon the road
There was one I met upon the road
Who looked at me with kind eyes.
He said, "Show me of your wares."
And this I did,
Holding forth one.
He said, "It is a sin."
Then held I forth another;
He said, "It is a sin."
Then held I forth another;
He said, "It is a sin."
And so to the end;
Always he said, "It is a sin."
And, finally, I cried out,
"But I have none other."
Then did he look at me
With kinder eyes.
"Poor soul!" he said.
poem by Stephen Crane
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Stains
The three ghosts on the lonesome road
Spake each to one another,
"Whence came that stain about your mouth
No lifted hand may cover?"
"From eating of forbidden fruit,
Brother, my brother."
The three ghosts on the sunless road
Spake each to one another,
"Whence came that red burn on your foot
No dust nor ash may cover?"
"I stamped a neighbor's hearth-flame out,
Brother, my brother."
The three ghosts on the windless road
Spake each to one another,
"Whence came that blood upon your hand
No other hand may cover?"
"From breaking of a woman's heart,
Brother, my brother."
"Yet on the earth clean men we walked,
Glutton and Thief and Lover;
White flesh and fair it hid our stains
That no man might discover."
"Naked the soul goes up to God,
Brother, my brother."
poem by Theodosia Garrison
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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My Typewriter
I used to think a pot of ink
Held magic in its fluid,
And I would ply a pen when I
Was hoary a a Druid;
But as I scratch my silver thatch
My battered old Corona
Calls out to me as plaintively
As dying Desdemona.
"For old time's sake give me a break:
To you I've been as loyal
As ever could an Underwood,
Or Remington or Royal.
The globe we've spanned together and
Two million words, maybe,
For you I've tapped - it's time you rapped
A rhyme or two for me.
"I've seen you sit and smoke and spit
With expletives profane,
Then tear with rage the virgin page
I tendered you in vain.
I've watched you glare in dull despair
Through hours of brooding thought,
Then with a shout bang gaily out
The 'word unique' you sought.
"I've heard you groan and grunt and moan
That rhyme's a wretched fetter;
That after all you're just a small
Fat-headed verse-begetter;
You'd balance me upon your knee
Like any lady friend,
Then with a sigh you'd lay me by
For weeks and weeks on end.
"I've known when you were mighty blue
And hammered me till dawn,
Dire poverty! But I would be
The last thing you would pawn.
Days debt-accurst! Then at its worst
The sky, behold, would clear;
A poem sold, the garret cold
Would leap to light and cheer.
"You've toted me by shore and sea
From Mexico to Maine;
From Old Cathay to Mandalay,
From Samarkand to Spain.
You've thumped me in the battle's din
And pounded me in peace;
By air and land you've lugged me and
Your shabby old valise.
"But now my keys no more with ease
To your two fingers yield;
With years of use my joints are loose,
With wear of flood and field.
And even you are slipping too:
You're puffy, stiff and grey:
Old Sport, we're done, our race is run -
Why not call it a day?"
Why not? You've been, poor old machine!
My tried and faithful friend.
With fingertip your keys I'll flip
Serenely to the end.
For even though you're stiff and slow,
No other will I buy.
And though each word be wan and blurred
I'll tap you till I die.
poem by Robert William Service
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Epilogue
"Why can't you say what you mean straight out in prose?"
Well, say it yourself: then say "It's that, but more,
Or less perhaps, or not that way, or not
That after all." The meaning of a song
Might be an undernote; this tree might mean
That leaf as much as trunk, branch, other leaves.
And does one know till one begins? And let's
Look over hedges far as eyesight lets us,
Since road's not, surely, road, but road and hedge
And feet and sky and smell of hawthorn, horse-dung.
Submitted by Stephen Fryer
poem by Arthur Seymour John Tessimond
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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(It's A) Big World
(words and music by Joe Jackson)
Looking over Hong Kong harbour
Throw a shrimp in yellow wine
Eat it when it ceases moving
Just before is fine too
There's an ancient Chinese saying
Always seems to slip my mind
Does it really die with honour
Does it really matter
It's a big world
It's a big world - so much to see
Sitting on a beach in Bali
Tried to reach and grab a cloud
Looked so much like cotton candy
And I'm feeling god-like
Could it be just what I'm eating
Only mushrooms after all
And with juice of avocado
I should live forever
It's a big world
It's a big world - so much to do
Sitting on the floor in Kyoto
Marvel at the latest catch
Eat it soon as you are able
Quick before they cook it
There's an eyeball staring at me
And I know I've met my match
Do I eat or am I eaten
It's a new adventure
It's a big world - so much to do
It's a big world - so much to see
From the Leningradsky Prospekt
On the road to Mandalay
There's a new intoxication
Hits you just as you're leaving
Caf sur les Champs-Elyses
Baklava in Istanbul
Smoke a pipe in Casablanca
Question all you believe in
It's a big world - so much to see
It's a big world - so much to do
And plenty of room for me and you
(C) 1986 Pokazuka Ltd. (ASCAP)
song performed by by Joe Jackson
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Sonnet V: Nothing But No
Nothing but "No," and "Aye," and "Aye," and "No"?
How falls it out so strangely you reply?
I tell ye, Fair, I'll not be answer'd so,
With this affirming "No," denying "Aye."
I say, "I love," you slightly answer "Aye";
I say, "You love," you pule me out a "No";
I say, "I die," you echo me an "Aye";
"Save me," I cry, you sigh me out a "No";
Must woe and I have nought but "No" and "Aye"?
No I am I, if I no more can have;
Answer no more, with silence make reply,
And let me take myself what I do crave.
Let "No" and "Aye" with I and you be so;
Then answer "No," and "Aye," and "Aye" and "No."
poem by Michael Drayton
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The Old Tin Hat
In the good old days when the Army's ways were simple and unrefined,
With a stock to keep their chins in front, and a pigtail down behind,
When the only light in the barracks at night was a candle of grease or fat,
When they put the extinguisher on the light, they called it the Old Tin Hat.
Now, a very great man is the C. in C., for he is the whole of the show --
The reins and the whip and the driver's hand that maketh the team to go --
But the road he goes is a lonely road, with ever a choice to make,
When he comes to a place where the roads divide, which one is the road to take.
For there's one road right, and there's one road wrong, uphill, or over the flat,
And one road leads to the Temple of Fame, and one to the Old Tin Hat.
And a very great man is the man who holds an Army Corps command,
For he hurries his regiments here and there as the C. in C. has planned.
By day he travels about in state and stirreth them up to rights,
He toileth early and toileth late, and sitteth up half the nights;
But the evening comes when the candle throws twin shadows upon the mat,
And one of the shadows is like a wreath, and one like an Old Tin Hat.
And a very proud man is the Brigadier at the sound of the stately tread
Of his big battalions marching on, as he rides with his staff ahead.
There's never a band to play them out, and the bugle's note is still,
But he hears two tunes in the gentle breeze that blows from over the hill.
And one is a tune in a stirring key, and the other is faint and flat,
For one is the tune of "My new C.B." and the other, "My Old Tin Hat."
And the Colonel heading his regiment is life and soul of the show,
It's "Column of route", "Form troops", "Extend", and into the fight they go;
He does not duck when the air is full of the "wail of the whimpering lead",
He does not scout for the deep dugout when the 'planes are overhead;
He fears not hog, nor devil, nor dog, and he'd scrap with a mountain cat,
But he goeth in fear of the Brigadier, and in fear of the Old Tin Hat.
poem by Andrew Barton Paterson
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A Sick Child
The postman comes when I am still in bed.
"Postman, what do you have for me today?"
I say to him. (But really I'm in bed.)
Then he says - what shall I have him say?
"This letter says that you are president
Of - this word here; it's a republic."
Tell them I can't answer right away.
"It's your duty." No, I'd rather just be sick.
Then he tells me there are letters saying everything
That I can think of that I want for them to say.
I say, "Well, thank you very much. Good-bye."
He is ashamed, and turns and walks away.
If I can think of it, it isn't what I want.
I want . . . I want a ship from some near star
To land in the yard, and beings to come out
And think to me: "So this is where you are!
Come." Except that they won't do,
I thought of them. . . . And yet somewhere there must be
Something that's different from everything.
All that I've never thought of - think of me!
poem by Randall Jarrell
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Arcturus
"Arcturus" is his other name—
I'd rather call him "Star."
It's very mean of Science
To go and interfere!
I slew a worm the other day—
A "Savant" passing by
Murmured "Resurgam"—"Centipede"!
&q uot;Oh Lord—how frail are we"!
I pull a flower from the woods—
A monster with a glass
Computes the stamens in a breath—
And has her in a "class"!
Whereas I took the Butterfly
Aforetime in my hat—
He sits erect in "Cabinets"—
The Clover bells forgot.
What once was "Heaven"
Is "Zenith" now—
Where I proposed to go
When Time's brief masquerade was done
Is mapped and charted too.
What if the poles should frisk about
And stand upon their heads!
I hope I'm ready for "the worst"—
Whatever prank betides!
Perhaps the "Kingdom of Heaven's" changed—
I hope the "Children" there Won't be "new fashioned" when I come—
And laugh at me—and stare—
I hope the Father in the skies
Will lift his little girl—
Old fashioned—naught—everything—
Over the stile of "Pearl."
poem by Emily Dickinson
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Upon the road of my life,
Upon the road of my life,
Passed me many fair creatures,
Clothed all in white, and radiant.
To one, finally, I made speech:
"Who art thou?"
But she, like the others,
Kept cowled her face,
And answered in haste, anxiously,
"I am good deed, forsooth;
You have often seen me."
"Not uncowled," I made reply.
And with rash and strong hand,
Though she resisted,
I drew away the veil
And gazed at the features of vanity.
She, shamefaced, went on;
And after I had mused a time,
I said of myself,
"Fool!"
poem by Stephen Crane
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If Trees Could Talk
If trees could talk, what would they say?
That would definitely be question of the day.
They'd say, "Help us! Help us! We're being chopped down! "
That wouldn't help as our oxygen would frown.
They'd say, "Help us! We're being turned into furniture! "
That doesn't sound like much of an adventure.
They'd say, "Help us! Our branches are losing leaves! "
That shouldn't be the case until Christmas Eve.
If trees could talk, what would they say?
They'd say, "We watch the children who like to play."
There are some nice things too that trees would utter,
Like, "We're as important to life as bread is to butter."
Sadly, trees are like some of us; they speak in silence.
But do they really deserve to be treated with violence?
poem by Stephen Cahill Furlong
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