The Mushroom is the Elf of Plants－1
At Evening, it is not－
At Morning, in a Truffled Hut
It stop upon a Spot
As if it tarried always 5
And yet its whole Career
Is shorter than a Snake's Delay
And fleeter than a Tare－
'Tis Vegetation's Juggler－9
The Germ of Alibi－
Doth like a Bubble antedate
And like a Bubble, hie－
I feel as if the Grass was pleased 13
To have it intermit－
This surreptitious scion
Of Summer's circumspect.
Had Nature any supple Face 17
Or could she one contemn－
Had Nature an Apostate－
That Mushroom－it is Him!
At Evening, it is not－
At Morning, in a Truffled Hut
It stop upon a Spot
As if it tarried always 5
And yet its whole Career
Is shorter than a Snake's Delay
And fleeter than a Tare－
'Tis Vegetation's Juggler－9
The Germ of Alibi－
Doth like a Bubble antedate
And like a Bubble, hie－
I feel as if the Grass was pleased 13
To have it intermit－
This surreptitious scion
Of Summer's circumspect.
Had Nature any supple Face 17
Or could she one contemn－
Had Nature an Apostate－
That Mushroom－it is Him!
(F.1350/J.1298)
[1] Mushroom:: a person or family that has suddenly sprung into notice; an upstart (OED 2a). Plants:: the harvest.
[2] Evening:: the condition of being equal.
[3] Morning:: the beginning. Truffled Hut:: a poor living condition.
[4] Spot:: a small place.
[5-8] whole Career, fleeter:: the upstart's sudden rise.
[9] Vegetation:: dull, empty, or stagnant life spent in retirement (OED 4)
[10] Germ of Alibi:: the origin of alibi, as an upstart denied his living in the hut.
[13] the Grass:: idling people. Grass:: being free from fixed engagements (OED 5b).
[14] intermit:: to interpose, put between (OED v.2 2); an upstart is welcomed by the idling people.
[15] surreptitious:: the stealthily rise of an upstart. Scion:: a graft, a poor scion to a rich tree.
[16] Summer:: one who sums or adds; an upstart is cautious in making friends like doing math.
[17] supple Face:: a face can be changed easily.
[19] Nature:: human nature.
[20] Him:: a hint on a man, not a plant.
For being supposed to be a disease peculiar to aristocracy, every upstart is fain to affect it. You cannot please a mushroom squire, or a retired shop-keeper better, than by telling him his disease is "gout" ─ Fallacies of the Faculty (1841)
