The People and their Palace. Improvised by a fine gentleman
Oh dem that absawd Cwystal Palace! alas,
What a pity they took off the duty on glass!
It's having been evaw ewected, in fact,
Was en-ti-a-ly owing to that foolish act.
Wha-evew they put it a cwowd it will dwaw,
And that is the weason I think it a baw;
I have no gweat dislike to the building, as sutch;
The People is what I object to sa mutch.
The People!--I weally am sick of the wawd:
The People is ugly, unpleasant, absawd;
Wha-evaw they go, it is always the case,
They are shaw to destroy all the chawm of the place.
Their voices are loud, and their laughter is hawse;
Their fealyaws are fabsy, iwegulaw, cause;
How seldom it is that their faces disclose,
What one can call, pwopally speaking, a nose!
They have dull heavy looks, which appeaw to expwess
Disagweeable stwuggles with common distwess;
The People can't dwess, doesn't know how to walk.
And would uttaly wuin a spot like the Pawk.
That I hate the People is maw than I 'll say;
I only would have them kept out of my way,
Let them stay at the pot-house, wejoice in the pipe,
And wegale upon beeaw, baked patatas, and twipe.
We must have the People--of that tha's no doubt--
In shawt they could not be, pahaps, done without.
If'twa not faw the People we could not have Boots
Tha's no doubt that they exawcise useful pasuits.
They are all vewy well in their own pwopa spheeaw
A long distance off; but I don t like them neeaw;
The slams is the place faw a popula show;
Don't encouwage the people to spoil Wotten Wow.
It is odd that the DUKE OF AWGYLL could pasue,
So eccentwic a cawse, and LAD SHAFTESBUWY too,
As to twy and pwesawve the Glass House on its site,
Faw no weason on awth but the People's delight.
-THE END-
Punch's poem: The People and their Palace
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