Project Gutenberg's The Rubaiyat of Omar Cayenne, by Gelett Burgess

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Title: The Rubaiyat of Omar Cayenne

Author: Gelett Burgess

Release Date: February 25, 2009 [EBook #28184]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

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THE RUBAIYAT OF OMAR CAYENNE

BY

GELETT BURGESS

NEW YORK
FREDERICK A STOKES COMPANY
PUBLISHERS

Copyright, 1904,
BY
GELETT BURGESS

_Published December, 1904_

THE RUBAIYAT OF OMAR CAYENNE

I

Wake! For the Hack can scatter into flight
Shakespere and Dante in a single Night!
The Penny-a-liner is Abroad, and strikes
Our Modern Literature with blithering Blight.

II

Before Historical Romances died,
Methought a Voice from Art's Olympus cried,
"When all Dumas and Scott is still for Sale,
Why nod o'er drowsy Tales, by Tyros tried?"

III

A cock-sure Crew with Names ne'er heard before
Greedily shouted--"Open then the Door!
You know how little Stuff is going to live,
But where it came from there is plenty More."

IV

Now the New Year reviving old Desires,
The Artist poor to Calendars aspires,
But of the Stuff the Publisher puts out
Most in the Paper Basket soon suspires.

V

Harum indeed is gone, and Lady Rose,
And Janice Meredith, where no one knows;
But still the Author gushes overtime,
And many a Poet babbles on in Prose.

VI

Aldrich's lips are lock'd; but people buy
High-piping Authoresses, boomed sky-high.
"How Fine!"--the Publisher cries to the Mob,
That monumental Cheek to justify.

VII

Come, fill the Purse, to Publishers, this Spring,
Your Manuscripts of paltry Passion bring:
The New York Times has oft a little Way
Of praising--let The Times your praises sing.

VIII

Whether by Century or Doubleday,
Whether Macmillan or the Harpers pay,
The Publisher prints new books every Year;
The Critics will keep Busy, anyway!

IX

Each Morn