{"id":1007,"date":"2026-09-28T19:59:00","date_gmt":"2026-09-28T18:59:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tseliot.com\/?p=1007"},"modified":"2026-11-08T18:36:37","modified_gmt":"2026-11-08T18:36:37","slug":"fable-xiv","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/tseliot.com\/noctes\/fable-xiv\/","title":{"rendered":"Fable XIV"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n
\n
\n

Fable XIV<\/h1>\n

The Whale, The Elephant, The Coot,<\/em>1<\/a><\/sup> and The Spider<\/em>\u200a2<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n<\/header>\n

\n

INVOCATION<\/em><\/h2>\n
\n

Conversing with you sprightly Boys<\/p>\n

Was once the best of nightly joys.3<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

LARGO<\/em><\/h2>\n
\n

The Elephant of darkish air<\/p>\n

Of Solemn voice, of brow austere<\/p>\n

Who bore his wisdom in his face<\/p>\n

And testified to pride of race\u2014<\/p>\n

Within the vestry, vest remov\u2019d<\/p>\n

Chairmen and lesser men reprov\u2019d<\/p>\n

And various in rhyme and metre<\/p>\n

To the feat gibe return\u2019d a feater<\/p>\n

So, like the ancient sage, reveal\u2019d<\/p>\n

The follies publick life conceal\u2019d.4<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

PRESTO<\/em><\/h2>\n
\n

Coot was nimble,5<\/a><\/sup> Coot was quick<\/p>\n

Coot jumped over the candlestick<\/p>\n

Coot, so Coot said, had a mind<\/p>\n

Liberal views of a Cootish kind<\/p>\n

Dinner at Eight or not much later<\/p>\n

And a Coot-a-Coot6<\/a><\/sup> with the Wine Waiter<\/p>\n

And ever the Policy of the Good Neighbour\u20137<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

Let that rest:<\/p>\n

that was Coot, not Faber.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

TRANSFORMATION SCENE<\/h2>\n
\n

Duet by Elephant<\/em> and Whale<\/em><\/p>\n

Air: Did you ever hear of a Gallant Sailor?<\/em>\u200a8<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Whale<\/em>:<\/p>\n

\n

The Chairman always in Temptation<\/p>\n

Must do what Nature bids him do:<\/p>\n

Our Hearts feel equal Palpitation<\/p>\n

For we\u2019ve unguarded minutes too\u2014<\/p>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Elephant<\/em>:<\/p>\n

\n

By Nature speedy<\/p>\n

In Apres-midi<\/p>\n

We don\u2019t so much your risk repine<\/p>\n

But late at Night-time<\/p>\n

Is the Red-light time<\/p>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Duet<\/em>:<\/p>\n

\n

Can\u2019t you persuade him not to dine?9<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n

NIGGER MINSTRELS <\/em><\/h2>\n
\n

Elephant<\/em> and Spider<\/em>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Who dat Man?10<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

Our Faber<\/p>\n

Who dat Man?<\/p>\n

In Clarges Street<\/p>\n

Who dat Man?<\/p>\n

At the Caf\u00e9 Royal<\/p>\n

Who dat Man?<\/p>\n

Jest watch his feet<\/p>\n

See them roll and see them go<\/p>\n

See<\/p>\n

Them<\/p>\n

Ro-holl<\/p>\n

And see<\/p>\n

Them<\/p>\n

GO.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

ENSEMBLE WITH FULL CHORUS<\/em><\/h2>\n
\n

O Berry Berry11<\/a><\/sup> let the grave close o\u2019er<\/p>\n

The Nights that were, that never will be more12<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

&c., as Madrigal, with Reel<\/em>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

[F. V. Morley]<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\nNotes<\/summary>\n
    \n
  1. 1.<\/a>\n

    JDH note: \u2018Mr F, famous for his baldness.\u2019<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  2. 2.<\/a>\n

    JDH note: \u2018Mr. H[ayward].\u2019<\/p>\n

    See \u2018Fable XIV: \u2018The owl<\/span>, the swan<\/span>, the cock<\/span>, the spider<\/span>, the ass<\/span>, and the farmer<\/span>\u2019, in John Gay, Poetry and Prose<\/em> II, ed. Vinton A. Dearing (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1974), 427.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  3. 3.<\/a>\n

    John Gay, \u2018Fable XIV\u2019, ll. 1\u20132:<\/p>\n

    Conversing with your sprightly boys,<\/p>

    Your eyes have spoke the mother\u2019s joys.<\/p><\/div>\n<\/li>\n

  4. 4.<\/a>\n

    Gay, \u2018Fable XIV\u2019, ll. 81\u201390:<\/p>\n

    An Owl, of magisterial air,<\/p>

    Of solemn voice, of brow austere,<\/p>

    Assum\u2019d the pride of human race,<\/p>

    And bore his wisdom in his face.<\/p>

    Not to depreciate learned eyes,<\/p>

    I\u2019ve seen a pedant look as wise.<\/p>

    Within a barn, from noise retir\u2019d,<\/p>

    He scorn\u2019d the world, himself admir\u2019d,<\/p>

    And like an ancient sage, conceal\u2019d<\/p>

    The follies public life reveal\u2019d.<\/p><\/div>\n<\/li>\n

  5. 5.<\/a>\n

    The traditional nursery rhyme, first recorded in 1815, runs:<\/p>\n

    Jack be nimble,<\/p>

    Jack be quick,<\/p>

    Jack jump over the candlestick.<\/p><\/div>\n<\/li>\n

  6. 6.<\/a>\n

    By analogy with t\u00eate-\u00e0-t\u00eate<\/em>: a private conversation between two individuals.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  7. 7.<\/a>\n

    The Roosevelt Administration in the USA officially adopted the \u2018Good Neighbour Policy\u2019 towards Nicaragua in the early 1930s.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  8. 8.<\/a>\n

    Gay, The Beggar\u2019s Opera<\/em>, Air LXIV: \u2018Did you ever hear of a gallant Sailor?\u2019<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  9. 9.<\/a>\n

    Achilles: An Opera<\/em> (1733), by the late John Gay (1685\u20131732):<\/p>\n

    AIR III. Did you ever hear of a galant Sailor.<\/p><\/div>\n

    Ach.<\/p>

    The Woman always in Temptation,<\/p>

    Must do what Nature bids her do;<\/p>

    Our Hearts feel equal Palpitation,<\/p>

    For we\u2019ve unguarded Minutes too.<\/p>

    By Nature greedy,<\/p>

    When lank and needy,<\/p>

    Within your Fold the Wolf confine;<\/p>

    Then bid the Glutton<\/p>

    Not think of Mutton;<\/p>

    Can you persuade him not to dine?<\/p><\/div>\n<\/li>\n

  10. 10.<\/a>\n

    Harpo Marx, in A Day at the Races<\/em> (1937), plays a lively tin whistle in a cakewalk number entitled \u2018Gabriel (Who Dat Man)\u2019.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  11. 11.<\/a>\n

    JDH note: \u2018A wine-merchant at St James\u2019s, frequented by the author.\u2019<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  12. 12.<\/a>\n

    Gilbert and Sullivan, The Gondoliers<\/em>, Act 1, No. 5 (Duet: Casilda and Luiz):<\/p>\n

    Oh, bury, bury \u2013 let the grave close o\u2019er<\/p>

    The days that were \u2013 that never will be more!<\/p>

    Oh, bury, bury love that all condemn,<\/p>

    And let the whirlwind mourn its requiem!<\/p><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/details>\n<\/section>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Fable XIV The Whale, The Elephant, The Coot,1 and The Spider\u200a2 INVOCATION Conversing with you sprightly Boys Was once the best of nightly joys.3 LARGO The Elephant of darkish air Of Solemn voice, of brow austere Who bore his wisdom in his face And testified to pride of race\u2014 Within the vestry, vest remov\u2019d Chairmen […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":7,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1007","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tseliot.com\/noctes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1007","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tseliot.com\/noctes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tseliot.com\/noctes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tseliot.com\/noctes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tseliot.com\/noctes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1007"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/tseliot.com\/noctes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1007\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1083,"href":"https:\/\/tseliot.com\/noctes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1007\/revisions\/1083"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tseliot.com\/noctes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1007"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}