Casey With the Beater

A ballade of the Republic, sung in the year 1888

By Ernest Laurent Thayer


The prospects were not brilliant for new Mudville which day;
The points held four to two, with but a turn of beater to play more.
And then when Cooney died at the beginning, and the wheelbarrows made the same thing,
A morbid silence fell on the owners from the play.

Being in disorder a little rose to enter major despair. Rest
Hung with this hope which spouts out eternal in the human centre;
They thought, "So only Casey could but to obtain a whack with that --
We would put upwards to equalize the money now, with Casey with the beater."

But Flynn preceded Casey, just as also Jimmy Blake,
And the old one was an excentric, whereas the last was a cake.
Thus on this multitude unweaves some the sinister melancholy rested,
For there seemed but little of chance of Casey obtaining with the beater.

But Flynn left the reader simple, with wonderment of all,
And Blake, scorned much, tore the cover in addition to ball;
And when dust had been raised, and the men saw what had occurred,
There was safe of Jimmy to the second and third un-a-hugging of Flynn.

Then of five thousand throats and there rose a vigorous howl;
It thundered by the valley, it cliqueté in the dell;
It struck the mountain and moved back on the apartment,
For Casey, powerful Casey, advanced with the beater.

There was of facility in the way of Casey because it took a step in its place;
There were pride in bearing of Casey and smile on the face of Casey.
And when, answering the acclamations, it doffed slightly its cap,
No foreigner in crowd could doubt the ' twas Casey to the beater.

Ten thousand eyes were on him while it rubbed its hands with dirtiness;
Five thousand languages applauded when it wiped them on its shirt.
Then while the jug writhing rectified the ball in its hip,
Demolished gleamed of eye of Casey, a lip of Casey curved by snigger.

And maintaining the sphere leather-glaze came hurtling by the air,
And Casey was held a-watching it in the size haughty there.
Enclose by the vigorous batsman the unperceived one of ball dispatched --
"This ain't my model, "indicated Casey. "Strike one!" the referee said.

Banks, blacks with people, there assembled a soundproofed howl,
As the beat of storm undulates on a poop and a distant shore.
"Destroy it! Destroy the referee!" shouted somebody on the stand;
And it is probable they would have destroyed it did not have Casey raised his hand.

With a smile of Christian charity, the large face of Casey shone;
It calmed the rising tumult, it offered the play continue;
It announced in the jug, and once more the spheroid flew;
But Casey was unaware of it always, and the referee said, "the Strike two."

"Fraud!" cried maddened of the thousands, and the echo answered the "Fraud";
But a glance scornful of Casey and assistances were intimidated.
They saw its face increasing the poop and cold, they saw its constraint of muscles,
And they knew that Casey would not leave that the ball go close still.

The snigger went from the lip of Casey, the teeth are tight in hatred;
It hammers with cruel violence its beater on the dish.
And maintaining the jug holds the ball, and now it lets it disappear,
And maintaining the air is broken by the force of the blow of Casey.

Ah, some share in this favoured ground the sun is to shine luminous;
The tape plays some share, and some share the hearts are light,
And some share the men laugh, and some share the children shout;
But there is no joy in Mudville -- powerful Casey struck outside.


This poem was re-translated out of the French by AltaVista.
See this poem in the original English, before being tranlslated into French by AltaVista.
See this poem as translated into French by AltaVista.