{"id":522,"date":"2016-05-13T18:30:14","date_gmt":"2016-05-13T22:30:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/romanticimprov.utoronto.ca\/?p=522"},"modified":"2017-01-03T13:52:02","modified_gmt":"2017-01-03T18:52:02","slug":"suid134","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/romanticimprov.utoronto.ca\/?p=522","title":{"rendered":"[“A.A.C.”], “Improvising ‘To Order'” (The New Monthly Magazine and Humorist<\/i>)"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Performer Name:<\/dt>\n
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Performance Venue:<\/dt>\n
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Performance Date:<\/dt>\n
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Author:<\/dt>\n
“A.A.C.”<\/dd>\n
Date Written:<\/dt>\n
 <\/dd>\n
Language:<\/dt>\n
English<\/dd>\n
Publication Title:<\/dt>\n
The New Monthly Magazine and Humorist<\/dd>\n
Article Title:<\/dt>\n
Improvising “To Order”<\/dd>\n
Page Numbers:<\/dt>\n
50: 555-556<\/dd>\n
Additional Info:<\/dt>\n
Theodore Hook became editor of the NMM in 1837.<\/dd>\n
Publisher:<\/dt>\n
Henry Colburn<\/dd>\n
Place of Publication:<\/dt>\n
London<\/dd>\n
Date Published:<\/dt>\n
1837<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n

Text:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

[555] Improvising "To Order" <\/p>\n

"Incipe, si quid habes." <\/p>\n

Virg. Ecl. 9th.<\/i> <\/p>\n

\r\nEditor<\/i>. AH, Couplet, my dear fellow, how d'ye do? \r\n\tHow odd—my thoughts that moment turned on you; \r\n\tThink of, you know, the——\r\n\r\nCouplet<\/i>. Me? you surely jest—\r\n\tWhy should on me your fancy deign to rest?\r\n\r\nEditor<\/i>. The fact is this—but first, pray take a chair—\r\n\tThough strange it seems, I've got a page to spare—\r\n\tMuch at your service—nay, no nods or winks—\r\n\tCome, knock some lines off, just to fill up chinks. \r\n\r\nCouplet<\/i>. Well then, if so, your subject first select. \r\n\r\nEditor<\/i>. True, but what's common I at once reject. \r\n\tNo pithless poesy—no jingling rhyme—\r\n\tEau sucre canzonets, or ode sublime: \r\n\tSoar far above such maudlin, and fal-lal, \r\n\tAnd quit thee, England, "an thou lov'st me, Hal." \r\n\r\nCouplet<\/i>. What distant clime, where burns the solar ray, \r\n\tShall swell the measure of the poet's lay? \r\n\tSay, shall his muse the western world explore, \r\n\tOr rest her pinions on the Afric shore?\r\n\tPortray the horrors of that hapless land, \r\n\tThe dreary desert, and its scorching, sand,—\r\n\tThe laden'd camel, and the lengthen'd train\r\n\tOf weary pilgrims o'er the boundless plain? \r\n\tSeeking, though faint, with wild and panting haste, \r\n\tSome bubbling fountain in the trackless waste. \r\n\r\nEditor<\/i>. No more--such arid scenes our senses rack—\r\n\tWe long, like Falstaff, for a cup of sack. \r\n\r\nCouplet<\/i>. Then turn we thence, more joyously to feast\r\n\tOn the gay splendour of the gorgeous East, \r\n\tTo breathe the Harem's love-inspiring air, \r\n\tAnd kindling view each beauteous wanton there, \r\n\tSing of the murmu'd wish, and half-drawn sigh, \r\n\tThe heaving bosom, and the melting eye; \r\n\tOr say how Echo labours to prolong \r\n\tThe dying cadence of the Georgian's song; \r\n\tOr mark the airy dance, whose rapid maze \r\n\tSome glowing charm in every turn betrays, \r\n\tWhile the light folds are so disposed to shade, \r\n\tBut not conceal, the beauties of the maid. \r\n\tSing of these charms!—yes, charms like these, which gave\r\n\tA sultan often captive to his slave; \r\n\tFor who but holly hermits could withstand\r\n\tThe laughing daughters of that golden land?\r\n\tWhere all might pass for Houries [?] from above,\r\n\tOr reign as sisters of the Queen of Love!\r\n\r\nEditor<\/i>. Enough, enough! thy Pegasus restrain; \r\n\tThe curb has slacken'd—tighten, pray, thy rein—\r\n\t[556]\r\n\tHe gallops hard—no more—now turn him round—\r\n\tAnd trot him gently over fresher ground; \r\n\tThy eastern fancies few, methinks, will brook,\r\n\tWho once have read (who has not?) "Lalla Rookh;"\r\n\tSo, "verbum sat<\/i>," we would not give thee pain, \r\n\tNow mount thy hobby, and be off again. \r\n\r\nCouplet<\/i>. Would the muse seek for themes of classic lore?\r\n\tThen let her hover near the Tuscan shore—\r\n\tFair, fallen Italy—behold the fate\r\n\tOf mighty nations in thy humbled state!\r\n\tAlas! who sighs not as he views the dome\r\n\tOf proud, imperial,—now, but papal Rome?\r\n\tWhose towering eagles once their wings unfurl'd,\r\n\tAnd proudly swept triumphant o'er the world,—\r\n\tAnd who laments not in his heart the day \r\n\tThat sees a feeble monk usurp the sway\r\n\tWhich Cæsar held, and there dominion claim\r\n\tO'er realms that echoed with a Pompey's fame,—\r\n\tO'er plains where Rome her valiant cohorts led,—\r\n\tWhere Marius conquer'd, and Horatii bled; \r\n\tWhile a dark zealot race succeeds the sage\r\n\tAnd brilliant meteors of th' Augustan age. \r\n\tFoul fall the day, and ill betide the hour, \r\n\tThat gave that country to a bigot's power!\r\n\r\nEditor<\/i>. Egad, friend Couplet, this is "Ercles' vein."\r\n\tNow twelve lines more, or so,—spur on again.\r\n\tOf Greece can nothing rather fine be said? \r\n\tCome—cross the Adriatic;—"Go it, Ned."\r\n\r\nCouplet<\/i>. Would the Muse now her magic wings expand\r\n\tTo waft her gently o'er the Grecian land;\r\n\tOh! let her course be slow whene'er her eyes\r\n\tShall view the columns of great Athens rise. \r\n\tLand of the brave, thrice favoured from above,\r\n\tThe fount of learning, and the throne of love!\r\n\tWhose sons were valiant as her daughters fair, \r\n\tDiana's glory, and Minerva's care!\r\n\tLand of the brave, what bosom bold and free, \r\n\tBut hails thy pass, renown'd Thermopylæ!\r\n\tWhose spirit burns not as it soars around,\r\n\tImmortal Marathon, thy battle-ground!\r\n\tYet of those days reflect no more with bliss,—\r\n\tThink what Greece was—behold what now she is. \r\n\r\nEditor<\/i>. There, that will do,—so lay aside thy shell,\r\n\tFor an impromptu it is passing well.\r\n\tNow some fair guerdon for thy song demand—\r\n\tWhat wouldst thou seek—some office high and grand?\r\n\tBard to the "blues" I'll make thee,—thou shalt see it. \r\nCouplet<\/i>. You don't say so?\r\nEditor<\/i>. I do,—upon my eyes be it. \r\n<\/pre>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Notes:<\/strong><\/p>\n
\n<\/p><\/div>\n
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Collected by:<\/dt>\n
 CB<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A dialogue between an Editor and a Couplet, where the Couplet “improvises” about distant lands and cultures. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27,134],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/romanticimprov.utoronto.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/522"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/romanticimprov.utoronto.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/romanticimprov.utoronto.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/romanticimprov.utoronto.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/romanticimprov.utoronto.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=522"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/romanticimprov.utoronto.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/522\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3226,"href":"https:\/\/romanticimprov.utoronto.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/522\/revisions\/3226"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/romanticimprov.utoronto.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=522"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/romanticimprov.utoronto.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=522"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/romanticimprov.utoronto.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=522"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}