[BNP/E3, 79¹ – 8-9]

Dirty Day

Correct!

|This is a story illustrating

The character of poor mankind

I do not think it bears debate.|

In a certain nation which of course

I shall not mention to make worse

The story I am going to tell

A certain man whose brain on Hell

Might seem to souls who see not well

Who was the member of a government

Forged and counted and put into movement

A law whose {…} thus did say:

In the while year there would one day

Be set apart for a strange thing:

And on that day, from beggar to king,

The nation all, and every sex {…}

Could I (oh corrupt invention dire!)

Use the most coarsest words that they

Could find, could forge could fashion

Above obscenity, word-mire.

Horror {…} I vituperation.

The man called this day Dirty Day.

[8^v]

The Custom has in a † a bit

But soon {…}

It was defended with good reasons

In winter sun {…} and in all seasons

Many did wonder wasted and stricken

And many said it unclutched sicken

For everything can be defended

A man gets crammed with cupid things

Which like the water soak him through

Upon that blèssed day

His legs with {…} wings

The Clout of his {…} thus watered

Than those that the † man who fathered

The hill defended it

That was the day when he could speak them

The other days as usual is

And natural he could not wreak them

‘Tis a nice[1] measure {…} did say

The minister who bought it

This † of a Dirty Day

Has this effect: People will swear not

People will curse not nor be lewd

They will not be obscenely modern

They from their lips word will… not

Which are to ears or to eyes made.

But they will all await the coming

Of this day to burst out quite fully

To give good vent to the humming

And so, while this wise bill appears

As my song with bright fears

To be immoral, ‘tis quite false

‘Tis quite the contrary

When the day comes[2]; but ‘tis a day

And Time – alas! {…} swift goes my {…}

All will relapse with a pure greatness

But a deeper, sure sedateness

And all after seeing the cloth

† through of theirs will feel a at peace,

{…} nor bad nor revolt

While may think this †

† will diminish swearing.

[9^r]

The hill became in time a land,

And this was what the Minister said:

When the day came ‘tis awful, horrid

It made a |*longer| face feel torrid

But when at last it went away

(Oh disillusion sad and drear)

All th’other days in the whole year

The people spent their time (they say)

|In telling one to each other|

The law against that was not made. -?

|What they had said on Dirty day|

15/8/07. Alexander Search.

[9^v]

Sponge and soaking the floor

[1] ‘Tis a nice ^{/Upon the ears of\}

[2] comes ^/goes\