I SING a legend of the sea,So hardaport upon your lee!
A ship on starboard tack!
She's bound upon a private cruise
(This is the kind of spice I use To give a saltsea smack).
Behold,on every afternoon (Save in a gale or strong Monsoon)Great CAPTAIN CAPEL CLEGGS
(Great morally,though rather short)
Sat at an open weatherport And aired his shapely legs.
And Mermaids hung around in flocks,On cable chains and distant rocks,To gaze upon those limbs;For legs like those,of flesh and bone,Are things "not generally known"
To any Merman TIMBS.
But Mermen didn't seem to care Much time (as far as I'm aware)With CLEGGS'S legs to spend;
Though Mermaids swam around all day And gazed,exclaiming,"THAT'S the way A gentleman should end!
"A pair of legs with wellcut knees,And calves and ankles such as these Which we in rapture hail,Are far more eloquent,it's clear (When clothed in silk and kerseymere),Than any nasty tail."
And CLEGGS a worthy kind old boy
Rejoiced to add to others'joy,And,when the day was dry,Because it pleased the lookerson,He sat from morn till night though conStitutionally shy.
At first the Mermen laughed,"Pooh!pooh!"
But finally they jealous grew,And sounded loud recalls;But vainly.So these fishy males Declared they too would clothe their tails In silken hose and smalls.
They set to work,these watermen,And made their nether robes but when They drew with dainty touch The kerseymere upon their tails,They found it scraped against their scales,And hurt them very much.
The silk,besides,with which they chose To deck their tails by way of hose (They never thought of shoon),For such a use was much too thin,It tore against the caudal fin,And "went in ladders"soon.
So they designed another plan:
They sent their most seductive man This note to him to show "Our Monarch sends to CAPTAIN CLEGGS
His humble compliments,and begs He'll join him down below;"We've pleasant homes below the sea
Besides,if CAPTAIN CLEGGS should be (As our advices say)A judge of Mermaids,he will find Our ladyfish of every kind Inspection will repay."
Good CAPEL sent a kind reply,For CAPEL thought he could descry An admirable plan To study all their ways and laws (But not their ladyfish,because He was a married man).
The Merman sank the Captain too Jumped overboard,and dropped from view Like stone from catapult;And when he reached the Merman's lair,He certainly was welcomed there,But,ah!with what result?
They didn't let him learn their law,Or make a note of what he saw,Or interesting mem.:
The ladyfish he couldn't find,But that,of course,he didn't mind He didn't come for them.
For though,when CAPTAIN CAPEL sank,The Mermen drawn in double rank Gave him a hearty hail,Yet when secure of CAPTAIN CLEGGS,They cut off both his lovely legs,And gave him SUCH a tail!
When CAPTAIN CLEGGS returned aboard,His blithesome crew convulsive roar'd,To see him altered so.
The Admiralty did insist That he upon the Halfpay List Immediately should go.
In vain declared the poor old salt,"It's my misfortune not my fault,"
With tear and trembling lip
In vain poor CAPEL begged and begged.
"A man must be completely legged Who rules a British ship."
So spake the stern First Lord aloud
He was a wag,though very proud,And much rejoiced to say,"You're only half a captain now And so,my worthy friend,I vow You'll only get halfpay!"
