GIUSEPPE SCALABRART' He's gotta huckster-cart Dat he ees push aroun' Da streets een deesa town, Wherevra dere's enough To buy hees fruit an' stuff. But wan day een hees cart Dees fallow Scalabrart' Ees carry, for a change, A load dat's verra strange. Here ees da way of eet: Dere's lady een wan street Dat owe heem seexty cent, An' act so like she meant She nevva gona pay; An' she's gon' move away, For on da house wan day He see a sign dat say: "Dees Property For Sell." Giuseppe reeng da bell, An' w'en she com' he say: "My seexty cent; you pay Eef mebbe so I find Som'body dat'sa mind For buy da house from you?" She laugh an', "Eef you do," She say, "an' I can gat My price -- four thousan' flat -- I pay your beell on sight." Giuseppe say: "All right." Eet's nexta morna w'en He reeng da bell agen; Da lady com' an' say: "I want no fruit to-day." But he say: "Waita, pleass! Dese fruits no grow on trees; Com', lady, looka dese!" Den een hees cart he shows -- Now, w'at you gon' su'pose? -- Een undra pile of rags Ees old teen cans an' bags, An' dere ees som' of dese Dat's full weeth ten-cent piece; An' some weeth neeckels, too, An' pennies; an' a few Weeth feefty, twanty-fi', An' som' got notes so high As fi', ten-dollar beell! He say: "Now, eef you weell, Pleas', lady, be so kind To count all dese, you'll find Four thousan' dollar here -- No, notta quite, but near -- You see, I hate like hal For losin' w'at you owe, Dat seexty cent, you know, And so I theenk eet wal For buy da house mysal'." | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...SONNET TO THE AUTUMNAL MOON by SAMUEL TAYLOR COLERIDGE THE IMMORTALITY OF LOVE by ROBERT SOUTHEY PRAYER OF COLUMBUS by WALT WHITMAN BRUCE: HOW AYMER DE VALENCE, AND JOHN OF LORN CHASED THE BRUCE ... by JOHN BARBOUR SPRING NIGHT by EDMUND CHARLES BLUNDEN |