English Poetry. Robert William Service. The Prisoner. Роберт Уильям Сервис.

Robert William Service (Роберт Уильям Сервис)

The Prisoner

Upspoke the culprit at the bar,
Conducting his own case:
'Your Lordship, I have gone to far,
But grant me of your grace.
As I was passing by a shop
I saw my arm go out,
And though I begged of it to stop,
It stole beyond a doubt.

'But why should my whole body be
Condemned to dungeon grim,
For what in fact was only the
Transgression of a limb?
So here before the Court I stand,
And beg in Justice' name:
Please penalise my arm and hand,
But not my frame.'

Outspoke the Judge with voice of ice,
Although a smile he hid:
'Quite right! You should not pay the price
For what one member did.
Your reasoning I must admit;
Your arm should gaol expect...
Three months! And if you follow it
The Court does not object.'

The culprit smiled with sudden charm,
Then to the Court's dismay,
Quickly removed a wooden arm
And went away.

Robert William Service’s other poems:

Poems of other poets with the same name (Стихотворения других поэтов с таким же названием):

Emily Brontë (Эмили Бронте) The Prisoner (“Still let my tyrants know, I am not doomed to wear”)

Elizabeth Barrett-Browning (Элизабет Барретт-Браунинг) The Prisoner (“I count the dismal time by months and years”)

Lucy Montgomery (Люси Монтгомери) The Prisoner (“I lash and writhe against my prison bars”)

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