Old Pipe of Mine
Companion of my lonely hours,
Full many a time ’twixt night and morn
Thy muse hath roamed through poesy’s bowers
Upon thy fragrant pinions borne.
Let others seek the bliss that reigns
In homage paid at beauty’s shrine,
We envy not such foolish gains,
In sweet content, old pipe of mine.
Ah! you have been a travelled pipe;
But now, of course, you’re getting stale,
Just like myself, and rather ripe;
You’ve had your fill of cakes and ale,
And half-forgotten memories, too.
And all the pensive thoughts that twine
Around a past that, entre nous,
Has pleasant been, old pipe of mine.
Old pipe of mine, for many a year
What boon companions we have been!
With here a smile and there a tear,
How many changes we have seen!
How many hearts have ceased to beat,
How many eyes have ceased to shine,
How many friends will never meet,
Since first we met, old pipe of mine!
Though here and there the road was deep,
And now and then the rain would fall;
We managed every time to keep
A sturdy forehead to them all!
And even when she left my side,
We didn’t wait to fret or pine,
Oh, no; we said the world was wide,
And luck would turn, old pipe of mine!