Lippincott's Magazine Of Popular Literature And Science April 1876 1876 Vol. XVII, No.100

 

 

 

THE SING-SONG OF MALY COE.1

In he city of Whampo'

Live Joss-pidgin-man2 name Coe:

Mister Coe he missionaly,3

Catchee one cow-chilo4, Maly.

Father-man he leadee5 book,

Maly talkee with the cook:

Good olo6 father talkee Josh,7

But China-woman talkee bosh.

Bym'by Maly gettee so

She only Pidgin-English know,8

And father-man he solly9 see

She thinkee leason10 like Chinee.

One day some flin11 flom12 Boston come

And askee, "Mister Coe at home?"

He servant go to opee door,

But Maly lun13 chop-chop14 before.

An' stlanger15 say when in he come,

"Is Mister Coe, my dear, at home?"

And Maly answer velly tlue,

"My thinkee this tim no can do."16

He olo father, still as mouse,

Chin-chin Joss topsidey house:17

Allo tim he make Joss-pidgin,18

What you Fan-kwai19 callee 'ligion.

He gentleum much stare galow20

To hearee girley talkee so;

And say, "Dear child, may I inquire

Which form of faith you most admire?"

And Maly answer he request:

"My like Chinee Joss-pidgin best:

My love Kwan-wán21 with chilo neat,

And Joss-stick22 smellee velly sweet."

"Afóng, our olo cook down stairs,

Make teachee Maly Chinee players:23

Say, if my chin-chin Fô24—oh joy!—

Nex time my born, my bornee boy!"25

"An' then my gettee nicey-new

A ittle dacket26—towsers too—And

And lun about with allo27 boys,

In bu'ful boots that makee noise."

Tear come in he gentleum eyes,

And then he anger 'gin to lise:28

He wailo29 scoldee Mister Coe

For 'glectin' little Maly so.

An' Mister Coe feel velly sore,

So go an' scoldy comprador;

An' comprador, with hollor30 shook,

Lun31 downy stairs and beatee cook.

And worsey állo-állo pain,

Maly go Boston homo 'gain:

No filee-clackers32 any more,

Nor talk with cook and comprador.

MORAL PIDGIN.

If Boston girley be let go,

She sartin sure to b'lieve in Fô,

And the next piecee of her plan

Is to lun lound33 and act like man.

So, little chilos,34 mind you look,

And nevee talkee with the cook:

You make so-fashion, first you know

You catchee sclape,35 like Maly Coe.

CHARLES G. LELAND.

Footnote 1: (return)

"The Ballad of Mary Coe."

Footnote 2: (return)

Joss-pidgin-man, clergyman.

Footnote 3: (return)

Missionary.

Footnote 4: (return)

Had a female child.

Footnote 5: (return)

Leadee or leedee, read.

Footnote 6: (return)

Olo, old.

Footnote 7: (return)

Talkee Josh (or Joss), converses on religion.

Footnote 8: (return)

Pidgin-English, the

patois spoken in China, meaning business-English, pigeon being the ordinary Chinese pronunciation of English.

Footnote 9: (return)

Solly, sorry.

Footnote 10: (return)

Leason, reason.

Footnote 11: (return)

Flin, friend.

Footnote 12: (return)

Flom, from.

Footnote 13: (return)

Lun, run.

Footnote 14: (return)

Chop-chop, fast.

Footnote 15: (return)

Stlanger, stranger.

Footnote 16: (return)

"I think it can't be done"—i.e., "You cannot see him."

Footnote 17: (return)

Chin-chin Joss top-sidey house, he is praying up stairs.

Footnote 18: (return)

Devotion.

Footnote 19: (return)

Fan-kwai, foreigner; lit. "foreign devil."

Footnote 20: (return)

Galów, galáw or galá, a meaningless word, but much used.

Footnote 21: (return)

Kwan-wán, a Chinese female divinity represented with a babe in her arms.

Footnote 22: (return)

Joss-stick, a stick composed of fragrant gum, etc., burnt as incense.

Footnote 23: (return)

Prayers.

Footnote 24: (return)

Chin-chin Fô, worship Buddha.

Footnote 25: (return)

Chinese women believe that by frequent repetition of a prayer to Fô they can secure the privilege of being born again as males.

Footnote 26: (return)

Dacket, jacket.

Footnote 27: (return)

Allo, all.

Footnote 28: (return)

Lise, rise.

Footnote 29: (return)

Wailo, run, go.

Footnote 30: (return)

Horror.

Footnote 31: (return)

Run.

Footnote 32: (return)

Fire-crackers.

Footnote 33: (return)

Run round.

Footnote 34: (return)

Children.

Footnote 35: (return)

Scrape.