Shake, Mulleary And Go-Ethe     By Henry Cuyler Bunner

(Shakespeare Moliere and Goethe?



    I have a bookcase, which is what
    Many much better men have not.
    There are no books inside, for books,
    I am afraid, might spoil its looks.
    But I've three busts, all second-hand,
    Upon the top. You understand
    I could not put them underneath -
    Shake, Mulleary and Go-ethe

    Shake was a dramatist of note;
    He lived by writing things to quote,
    He long ago put on his shroud:
    Some of his works are rather loud.
    His bald-spot's dusty, I suppose.
    I know there's dust upon his nose.
    I'll have to give each nose a sheath -
    Shake, Mulleary and Go-ethe.



    Mulleary's line was quite the same;
    He has more hair, but far less fame.
    I would not from that fame retrench -
    But he is foreign, being French.
    Yet high his haughty head he heaves,
    The only one done up in leaves,
    They're rather limited on wreath -
    Shake, Mulleary and Go-ethe.


    Go-ethe wrote in the German tongue:
    He must have learned it very young.
    His nose is quite a butt for scoff,
    Although an inch of it is off.
    He did quite nicely for the Dutch;
    But here he doesn't count for much.
    They all are off their native heath -
    Shake, Mulleary and Go-ethe.



    They sit there, on their chests, as bland
    As if they were not second-hand.
    I do not know of what they think,
    Nor why they never frown or wink,
    But why from smiling they refrain
    I think I clearly can explain:
    They none of them could show much teeth -
    Shake, Mulleary and Go-ethe.