The Banker's Secret - From Readings Over The Teacups - Five Stories And A Sequel Poem Rhyme Scheme

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Oliver Wendell Holmes

The Banker's Secret - From Readings Over The Teacups - Five Stories And A Sequel Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

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The Banker's dinner is the stateliest feast	A
The town has heard of for a year at least	A
The sparry lustres shed their broadest blaze	B
Damask and silver catch and spread the rays	B
The florist's triumphs crown the daintier spoil	C
Won from the sea the forest or the soil	C
The steaming hot house yields its largest pines	D
The sunless vaults unearth their oldest wines	D
With one admiring look the scene survey	E
And turn a moment from the bright display	E
	-
Of all the joys of earthly pride or power	F
What gives most life worth living in an hour	F
When Victory settles on the doubtful fight	G
And the last foeman wheels in panting flight	G
No thrill like this is felt beneath the sun	H
Life's sovereign moment is a battle won	H
But say what next To shape a Senate's choice	I
By the strong magic of the master's voice	I
To ride the stormy tempest of debate	J
That whirls the wavering fortunes of the state	J
Third in the list the happy lover's prize	K
Is won by honeyed words from women's eyes	K
If some would have it first instead of third	L
So let it be I answer not a word	L
The fourth sweet readers let the thoughtless half	M
Have its small shrug and inoffensive laugh	M
Let the grave quarter wear its virtuous frown	N
The stern half quarter try to scowl us down	N
But the last eighth the choice and sifted few	O
Will hear my words and pleased confess them true	O
	-
Among the great whom Heaven has made to shine	P
How few have learned the art of arts to dine	P
Nature indulgent to our daily need	Q
Kind hearted mother taught us all to feed	Q
But the chief art how rarely Nature flings	R
This choicest gift among her social kings	R
Say man of truth has life a brighter hour	F
Than waits the chosen guest who knows his power	F
He moves with ease itself an angel charm	S
Lifts with light touch my lady's jewelled arm	S
Slides to his seat half leading and half led	T
Smiling but quiet till the grace is said	T
Then gently kindles while by slow degrees	U
Creep softly out the little arts that please	U
Bright looks the cheerful language of the eye	V
The neat crisp question and the gay reply	V
Talk light and airy such as well may pass	W
Between the rested fork and lifted glass	W
With play like this the earlier evening flies	K
Till rustling silks proclaim the ladies rise	K
His hour has come he looks along the chairs	X
As the Great Duke surveyed his iron squares	X
That's the young traveller is n't much to show	Y
Fast on the road but at the table slow	Y
Next him you see the author in his look	Z
His forehead lined with wrinkles like a book	Z
Wrote the great history of the ancient Huns	X
Holds back to fire among the heavy guns	X
Oh there's our poet seated at his side	A2
Beloved of ladies soft cerulean eyed	A2
Poets are prosy in their common talk	B2
As the fast trotters for the most part walk	B2
And there's our well dressed gentleman who sits	X
By right divine no doubt among the wits	X
Who airs his tailor's patterns when he walks	X
The man that often speaks but never talks	X
Why should he talk whose presence lends a grace	X
To every table where he shows his face	X
He knows the manual of the silver fork	C2
Can name his claret if he sees the cork	C2
Remark that White top was considered fine	P
But swear the Juno is the better wine	P
Is not this talking Ask Quintilian's rules	X
If they say No the town has many fools	X
Pause for a moment for our eyes behold	D2
The plain unsceptred king the man of gold	D2
The thrice illustrious threefold millionnaire	F
Mark his slow creeping dead metallic stare	F
His eyes dull glimmering like the balance pan	E2
That weighs its guinea as he weighs his man	E2
Who's next An artist in a satin tie	V
Whose ample folds defeat the curious eye	V
And there 's the cousin must be asked you know	Y
Looks like a spinster at a baby show	Y
Hope he is cool they set him next the door	F
And likes his place between the gap and bore	F
Next comes a Congressman distinguished guest	F2
We don't count him they asked him with the rest	F2
And then some white cravats with well shaped ties	X
And heads above them which their owners prize	X
	-
Of all that cluster round the genial board	G2
Not one so radiant as the banquet's lord	G2
Some say they fancy but they know not why	V
A shade of trouble brooding in his eye	V
Nothing perhaps the rooms are overhot	G2
Yet see his cheek the dull red burning spot	G2
Taste the brown sherry which he does not pass	X
Ha That is brandy see him fill his glass	X
But not forgetful of his feasting friends	X
To each in turn some lively word he sends	X
See how he throws his baited lines about	G2
And plays his men as anglers play their trout	G2
A question drops among the listening crew	F
And hits the traveller pat on Timbuctoo	G2
We're on the Niger somewhere near its source	X
Not the least hurry take the river's course	X
Through Kissi Foota Kankan Bammakoo	C2
Bambarra Sego so to Timbuctoo	G2
Thence down to Youri stop him if we can	E2
We can't fare worse wake up the Congressman	H
The Congressman once on his talking legs	X
Stirs up his knowledge to its thickest dregs	X
Tremendous draught for dining men to quaff	O
Nothing will choke him but a purpling laugh	O
A word a shout a mighty roar 't is done	H
Extinguished lassoed by a treacherous pun	H
A laugh is priming to the loaded soul	H2
The scattering shots become a steady roll	H2
Broke by sharp cracks that run along the line	P
The light artillery of the talker's wine	P
The kindling goblets flame with golden dews	X
The hoarded flasks their tawny fire diffuse	X
And the Rhine's breast milk gushes cold and bright	G2
Pale as the moon and maddening as her light	G2
With crimson juice the thirsty southern sky	C2
Sucks from the hills where buried armies lie	C2
So that the dreamy passion it imparts	X
Is drawn from heroes' bones and lovers' hearts	X
But lulls will come the flashing soul transmits	X
Its gleams of light in alternating fits	X
The shower of talk that rattled down amain	P
Ends in small patterings like an April's rain	P
	-
With the dry sticks all bonfires are begun	P
Bring the first fagot proser number one	P
The voices halt the game is at a stand	G2
Now for a solo from the master hand	G2
'T is but a story quite a simple thing	C2
An aria touched upon a single string	C2
But every accent comes with such a grace	X
The stupid servants listen in their place	X
Each with his waiter in his lifted hands	X
Still as a well bred pointer when he stands	X
A query checks him Is he quite exact	G2
This from a grizzled square jawed man of fact	G2
The sparkling story leaves him to his fate	G2
Crushed by a witness smothered with a date	G2
As a swift river sown with many a star	F
Runs brighter rippling on a shallow bar	F
The smooth divine suggests a graver doubt	G2
A neat quotation bowls the parson out	G2
Then sliding gayly from his own display	E
He laughs the learned dulness all away	E
So with the merry tale and jovial song	C2
The jocund evening whirls itself along	C2
Till the last chorus shrieks its loud encore	F
And the white neckcloths vanish through the door	F
	-
One savage word The menials know its tone	P
And slink away the master stands alone	P
Well played by breathe not what were best unheard	G2
His goblet shivers while he speaks the word	G2
If wine tells truth and so have said the wise	X
It makes me laugh to think how brandy lies	X
Bankrupt to morrow millionnaire to day	E
The farce is over now begins the play	E
The spring he touches lets a panel glide	G2
An iron closet harks beneath the slide	G2
Bright with such treasures as a search might bring	C2
From the deep pockets of a truant king	C2
Two diamonds eyeballs of a god of bronze	X
Bought from his faithful priest a pious bonze	X
A string of brilliants rubies three or four	F
Bags of old coin and bars of virgin ore	F
A jewelled poniard and a Turkish knife	O
Noiseless and useful if we come to strife	O
Gone As a pirate flies before the wind	G2
And not one tear for all he leaves behind	G2
From all the love his better years have known	P
Fled like a felon ah but not alone	P
The chariot flashes through a lantern's glare	F
Oh the wild eyes the storm of sable hair	F
Still to his side the broken heart will cling	C2
The bride of shame the wife without the ring	C2
Hark the deep oath the wail of frenzied woe	Y
Lost lost to hope of Heaven and peace below	Y
	-
He kept his secret but the seed of crime	I2
Bursts of itself in God's appointed time	I2
The lives he wrecked were scattered far and wide	G2
One never blamed nor wept she only died	G2
None knew his lot though idle tongues would say	X
He sought a lonely refuge far away	X
And there with borrowed name and altered mien	P
He died unheeded as he lived unseen	P
The moral market had the usual chills	X
Of Virtue suffering from protested bills	X
The White Cravats to friendship's memory true	F
Sighed for the past surveyed the future too	F
Their sorrow breathed in one expressive line	P
Gave pleasant dinners who has got his wine	P
	-
	-
	-
The reader paused the Teacups knew his ways	X
He like the rest was not averse to praise	X
Voices and hands united every one	P
Joined in approval Number Three well done	P
	-
Now for the Exile's story if my wits	X
Are not at fault his curious record fits	X
Neatly as sequel to the tale we've heard	G2
Not wholly wild the fancy nor absurd	G2
That this our island hermit well might be	J2
That story's hero fled from over sea	J2
Come Number Seven we would not have you strain	P
The fertile powers of that inventive brain	P
Read us 'The Exile's Secret' there's enough	O
Of dream like fiction and fantastic stuff	O
In the strange web of mystery that invests	X
The lonely isle where sea birds build their nests	X
	-
Lies naught but lies so Number Seven began	P
No harm was known of that secluded man	P
He lived alone who would n't if he might	G2
And leave the rogues and idiots out of sight	G2
A foolish story still I'll do my best	G2
The house was real don't believe the rest	G2
How could a ruined dwelling last so long	C2
Without its legends shaped in tale and song	C2
Who was this man of whom they tell the lies	X
Perhaps why not NAPOLEON in disguise	X
So some said kidnapped from his ocean coop	K2
Brought to this island in a coasting sloop	K2
Meanwhile a sham Napoleon in his place	X
Played Nap and saved Sir Hudson from disgrace	X
Such was one story others used to say	X
No not Napoleon it was Marshal Ney	X
Shot Yes no doubt but not with balls of lead	G2
But balls of pith that never shoot folks dead	G2
He wandered round lived South for many a year	F
At last came North and fixed his dwelling here	F
Choose which you will of all the tales that pile	L2
Their mingling fables on the tree crowned isle	L2
Who wrote this modest version I suppose	X
That truthful Teacup our Dictator knows	X
Made up of various legends it would seem	M2
The sailor's yarn the crazy poet's dream	M2
Such tales as this by simple souls received	G2
At first are stared at and at last believed	G2
From threads like this the grave historians try	C2
To weave their webs and never know they lie	C2
Hear then the fables that have gathered round	G2
The lonely home an exiled stranger found	G2