Page:Poems Rossetti.djvu/400

From Wikisource
Jump to navigation Jump to search
This page has been proofread, but needs to be validated.
372
FREAKS OF FASHION.
Perched on bushes, perched on hedges,
Perched on firm hahas,
Perched on anything that holds them,
Gay papas and grave mammas
Teach the knowledge-thirsty nestlings:
Hear the gay papas.

Robin says: "A scarlet waistcoat
Will be all the wear,
Snug, and also cheerful-looking
For the frostiest air,
Comfortable for the chest too
When one comes to plume and pair."

"Neat gray hoods will be in vogue,"
Quoth a Jackdaw:"Glossy gray,
Setting close, yet setting easy,
Nothing fly-away;
Suited to our misty mornings,
À la negligée."

Flushing salmon, flushing sulphur,
Haughty Cockatoos
Answer—"Hoods may do for mornings,
But for evenings choose
High head-dresses, curved like crescents
Such as well-bred persons use."

"Top-knots, yes; yet more essential
Still, a train or tail,"
Screamed the Peacock: "Gemmed and lustrous,