Rudyard Kipling's Verse, Inclusive Edition, 1885-1918/Delilah

Delilah

We have another Viceroy now, those days are dead
      and done.
Of Delilah Aberyswith and depraved Ulysses Gunne.

DELILAH ABERYSWITH was a lady—not too
      young—
With a perfect taste in dresses, and a badly-
      bitted tongue,
With a thirst for information, and a greater
      thirst for praise,
And a little house in Simla, in the Prehistoric
      Days.

By reason of her marriage to a gentleman in
      power,
Delilah was acquainted with the gossip of the
      hour;
And many little secrets, of the half-official kind,
Were whispered to Delilah, and she bore them
      all in mind.

She patronized extensively a man, Ulysses
      Gunne,
Whose mode of earning money was a low and
      shameful one.
He wrote for divers papers, which, as every-
      body knows,
Is worse than serving in a shop or scaring off
      the crows.

He praised her "queenly beauty" first; and,
      later on, he hinted
At the "vastness of her intellect" with compli-
      ment unstinted.
He went with her a-riding, and his love
      for her was such
That he lent her all his horses and—she
      galled them very much.

One day, THEY brewed a secret of a fine fin-
      ancial sort;
It related to Appointments, to a Man and a
      Report.
'Twas almost worth the keeping, (only seven
      people knew it),
And Gunne rose up to seek the truth and pa-
      tiently ensue it.

It was a Viceroy's Secret, but—perhaps the
      wine was red—
Perhaps an Aged Councillor had lost his aged
      head—
Perhaps Delilah's eyes were bright—Delilah's
      whispers sweet—
The Aged Member told her what 'twere trea-
      son to repeat.

Ulysses went a-riding, and they talked of love
      and flowers;
Ulysses went a-calling, and he called for sev-
      eral hours;
Ulysses went a-waltzing, and Delilah helped
      him dance—
Ulysses let the waltzes go, and waited for his
      chance.

The summer sun was setting, and the summer
      air was still,
The couple went a-walking in the shade of
      Summer Hill
The wasteful sunset faded out in turkis-green
      and gold,
Ulysses pleaded softly, and . . . that bad
      Delilah told!

Next morn, a startled Empire learnt the all-
      important news;
Next week, the Aged Councillor was shaking
      in his shoes;
Next month, I met Delilah, and she did not
      show the least
Hesitation in affirming that Ulysses was a
      "beast."
          *       *       *       *       *       *
We have another Viceroy now, those days are
      dead and done,
Of Delilah Aberyswith and most mean
      Ulysses Gunne!