Anton & the Echo
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Along a dark and foggy street
Came Anton fallen on the sleet
And, stumbling drunk against the wall,
Met he who gave him further gall.
“Who goes?” he called. “How now, who is’t?
Hide not, I heard you fall, I wist!
By Jove, must I this fellow seek?”
—And lo, he heard an answer: “Seek!”
“I would, good sir, but for this leg
So war-a-torn I’ve had to beg.
Ay me, this sad and sorry week.”
—And lo, he heard an answer: “Week!”
“Who calls me weak? What peevish knave
Would give his life to die a slave?
Afore me, answer, by St. Jim!”
—And lo, he heard an answer: “Jim!”
“So Jim thou art, and Tom, and Dick,
Some lily-livered candle-wick
Who’d coward run to early grave!”
—And lo, he heard an answer: “Grave!”
“A pox on thee, and any knave
Who’d turn against his sovereign brave,
And taint his standing to deface me!
—And lo, he heard an answer: “Face me!”
“So thou wouldst like, I see, to duel
And satisfy our honor’s rule!
Then give reply you understand!”
—And lo, received an answer: “Stand!”
“Content! I have my rapier here--
Nay, ’zounds, I left it with my beer.
Would stay here till I have got it?”
—And lo, received an answer: “Got it!”
“Good villain, I thank thee, truly;
To strain thy patience unduly
In killing thee would be a shame.”
—And lo, received an answer: “Shame!”
“Thy will to die alarms me—speak,
Is thine existence here so bleak,
That to thy Maker early go?”
—And lo, received an answer: “Go!”
“Ay, but first let’s speak, in sadness,
For suicide is sin, a madness
In men like fall of sunless night.”
—And lo, received an answer: “Night!”
“A knight, I see, but fallen low,
Like Falstaff in life’s undertow?
Alas, I would begin to know.”
—And lo, received an answer: “Know!”
“No? A plague upon thee, patch,
Thou lily-boy, ungrateful wretch!
Who is’t that would foul tainted air?”
—And lo, received an answer: “Air!”
“An heir? God be with ye, then,
A knight and heir, ‘tis past my ken.
I would no soldier pass me by.”
—And lo, received an answer: “By!”
“Goodbye, ay, farewell; I’ll not stay
To wrestle with a master on this day.
Not one to scorn his fortune, I.”
—And lo, received an answer: “I!”
“Ay, indeed, amen, bethink you
I wish no further ill to sink you,
And so I leave you in one piece.”
—And lo, received an answer: “Piece!”
“For sure, alas, but not to find
At home with that shrew wife of mine
Demanding where this night I lie.”
—And lo, received an answer: “Lie!”
“Good counsel, like a wine untasted,
Old Anton will not leave unwasted,
And so is ours concluded, right?
—And lo, received an answer: “Right!”
So Anton left and to his wife
He told this wondrous story’s strife
Of worthy Jim he’d near defied--
And what is more, it was no lie!
Came Anton fallen on the sleet
And, stumbling drunk against the wall,
Met he who gave him further gall.
“Who goes?” he called. “How now, who is’t?
Hide not, I heard you fall, I wist!
By Jove, must I this fellow seek?”
—And lo, he heard an answer: “Seek!”
“I would, good sir, but for this leg
So war-a-torn I’ve had to beg.
Ay me, this sad and sorry week.”
—And lo, he heard an answer: “Week!”
“Who calls me weak? What peevish knave
Would give his life to die a slave?
Afore me, answer, by St. Jim!”
—And lo, he heard an answer: “Jim!”
“So Jim thou art, and Tom, and Dick,
Some lily-livered candle-wick
Who’d coward run to early grave!”
—And lo, he heard an answer: “Grave!”
“A pox on thee, and any knave
Who’d turn against his sovereign brave,
And taint his standing to deface me!
—And lo, he heard an answer: “Face me!”
“So thou wouldst like, I see, to duel
And satisfy our honor’s rule!
Then give reply you understand!”
—And lo, received an answer: “Stand!”
“Content! I have my rapier here--
Nay, ’zounds, I left it with my beer.
Would stay here till I have got it?”
—And lo, received an answer: “Got it!”
“Good villain, I thank thee, truly;
To strain thy patience unduly
In killing thee would be a shame.”
—And lo, received an answer: “Shame!”
“Thy will to die alarms me—speak,
Is thine existence here so bleak,
That to thy Maker early go?”
—And lo, received an answer: “Go!”
“Ay, but first let’s speak, in sadness,
For suicide is sin, a madness
In men like fall of sunless night.”
—And lo, received an answer: “Night!”
“A knight, I see, but fallen low,
Like Falstaff in life’s undertow?
Alas, I would begin to know.”
—And lo, received an answer: “Know!”
“No? A plague upon thee, patch,
Thou lily-boy, ungrateful wretch!
Who is’t that would foul tainted air?”
—And lo, received an answer: “Air!”
“An heir? God be with ye, then,
A knight and heir, ‘tis past my ken.
I would no soldier pass me by.”
—And lo, received an answer: “By!”
“Goodbye, ay, farewell; I’ll not stay
To wrestle with a master on this day.
Not one to scorn his fortune, I.”
—And lo, received an answer: “I!”
“Ay, indeed, amen, bethink you
I wish no further ill to sink you,
And so I leave you in one piece.”
—And lo, received an answer: “Piece!”
“For sure, alas, but not to find
At home with that shrew wife of mine
Demanding where this night I lie.”
—And lo, received an answer: “Lie!”
“Good counsel, like a wine untasted,
Old Anton will not leave unwasted,
And so is ours concluded, right?
—And lo, received an answer: “Right!”
So Anton left and to his wife
He told this wondrous story’s strife
Of worthy Jim he’d near defied--
And what is more, it was no lie!
Cristina Otero is an emerging writer and poet from Houston, TX with select publications in college magazines. She is a graduate of the University of St. Thomas and the University of Houston with degrees in English literature and education.