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Soft as some song divine, thy story flows.
Soft as some song divine, thy story flows.
 His eye begets occasion for his wit;
 For every object that the one doth catch
  The other read more 
 His eye begets occasion for his wit;
 For every object that the one doth catch
  The other turns to a mirth-moving jest,
   Which his fair tongue, conceit's expositor,
    Delivers in such apt and gracious words,
     That aged ears play truant at his tales,
      And younger hearings are quite ravished,
       So sweet and voluble is his discourse. 
 A story, in which native humour reigns,
 Is often useful, always entertains;
  A graver fact, enlisted on read more 
 A story, in which native humour reigns,
 Is often useful, always entertains;
  A graver fact, enlisted on your side,
   May furnish illustration, well applied;
    But sedentary weavers of long tales
     Give me the fidgets, and my patience fails. 
 In vain would I seek to discover
 Why sad and mournful am I,
  My thoughts without ceasing read more 
 In vain would I seek to discover
 Why sad and mournful am I,
  My thoughts without ceasing brood over
   A tale of the time gone by.
    [Ger., Ich weiss nicht was soll es bedeuten,
     Dass ich so traurig bin:
      Ein marchen aus alten Zeiten
       Das kommt mir nicht aus dem Sinn.] 
A schoolboy's tale, the wonder of an hour!
A schoolboy's tale, the wonder of an hour!
 With a tale forsooth he cometh unto you, with a tale which 
holdeth children from play, and old men read more 
 With a tale forsooth he cometh unto you, with a tale which 
holdeth children from play, and old men from the chimney corner. 
 At this point therefore let us begin our narrative, without 
adding any more to what has already been said; read more 
 At this point therefore let us begin our narrative, without 
adding any more to what has already been said; for it would be 
foolish to lengthen the preface while cutting short the history 
itself. 
Out of their saddles into the dirt--and thereby hangs a tale.
Out of their saddles into the dirt--and thereby hangs a tale.