Two swimmers wrestled on the spar－1
Until the morning sun－
When One－turned smiling to the land－
Oh God! the Other One!
The stray ships－passing－5
Spied a face－
Upon the waters borne－
With eyes in death－still begging raised－
And hands－beseeching－thrown!
Until the morning sun－
When One－turned smiling to the land－
Oh God! the Other One!
The stray ships－passing－5
Spied a face－
Upon the waters borne－
With eyes in death－still begging raised－
And hands－beseeching－thrown!
(F.227/J.201)
[1] spar:: a cock-fight. Two, spar:: two men gambled on a cock fight (beside a river or on a beach).
[3] One, land:: one who wins the land.
[7] waters:: tears.
[8] eyes in death:: spiritless eyes.
[9] thrown:: bet the cock.
The following fact is recorded as authentic, in the obituary of the Gentleman's Magazine for April 1789, and is a melancholy instance of the brutalising effects of these cruel sports: 'Died, April 4th, at Tottenham, John Ardesoif, esq. a young man of large fortune, and in the splendor of his carriages and horses rivalled by few country gentlemen. His table was that of hospitality, where it may be said he sacrificed too much to conviviality. Mr. Ardesoif was very fond of cock-fighting, and had a favorite cock upon which he had won many profitable matches. The last bet he laid upon this cock he lost, which so enraged him, that he had the bird tied to a spit and roasted alive before a large fire. ─ The London Encyclopaedia (1829)
