Lived
there a man in Gungawamp who ne’er could happy be;
There
was no light o’ day for him because he would not see.
He
mourned within his room all day and then from night till morn
Wailed
forth the old familiar cry, “My God, why was I born?”
When
others laughed it made him weep and feel exceeding sore,
And
he would fly to his retreat where he would weep some more.
“This
fickle world,” he sobbed aloud, “to sin has surely gone;
Away
with laughter, joy and mirth, my God, why was I born?”
No
grass would grow around his door, it had not grown for years,
Because
he kept the sod too wet, drenched by unhappy tears;
And
if a neighbor chanced to call – not many did, you bet,
He
had to wear his overshoes to keep from getting wet.
As
time went on he grew more sad, if such a thing could be,
And
by and by deserted was by friend and family;
And
to the stars he cried all night and to the sun all day:
“O
would that I could weep enough to wash my sins away!”
No
sympathy in Gungawamp he longed for lands anew;
He
longed for some dark “vale of tears” where humorists were few.
At
length he hit upon a plan – which same was hitting some –
“I’ll
hie to Boston town,” says he, “where everything is glum.”
And
so to Boston town he came and found that he was right;
He
found that he could sorrow here unto his heart’s delight.
He
found a hundred tearful friends all just as sad as he,
And
tears were shed that surged along and helped to fill the sea.
“Now
we must have a Sorrow Band,” he told his friends on day,
“A
fount of grief where we can let our hose of sorrow play.”
And
straightway then they organized a club, their very own,
A
sad, remorseful, doleful club, they called the “Puddingstone”.
– L’ Envoi –
The
moon shines in its leaden sky, the sun shines as of yore,
The
tides they ebb and flow the same, the surf beats on the shore;
But
I – I grope the dark world o’er, dejected and forlorn,
And
ask again and yet again – “My God! Why was I born?”
c.
Dec. ‘07
The Puddingstone Club, called the Winship
Club from its founding in 1903 until 1907, was a Boston men's club for
"alleged literati." It met at various clubs and hotels before
settling upon the Boston City Club for its monthly programs.
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