THE WIZARD FINN

As I suppose, you all have heard

There’ s no good luck with a Finn on board,

I can tell you that is so.

I’ ve sailed with one and I ought to know:

For it is true, upon my word,

There’ s no good luck with a Finn on board.

Eric Jansen was his name,

And from Christián’ he came;

A seemly man all for to see,

But devil a bit the man for me:

For it is true, as all have heard,

There’ s no good luck with a Finn on board.

From the hour he joined the ship,

All went wrong in all the trip;

’ Twas nothing but swear and growl and groan,

And the weather was just the devil’ s own:

You may reckon it all absurd,

But there’ s no good luck with a Finn on board.

Our grub was spoiled from that first hour,

Except the vinegar all was sour;

All you heard was Lubber! and Liar!

And everything hot except the fire:

For it is true, as all accord,

There’ s no good luck with a Finn on board.

For as the doctors all do know,

A Finn has fins between each toe:

He is web-footed like a duck;

Which is the cause of his bad luck:

For it is true, as I averred,

There’ s no good luck with a Finn on board.

And when at last it got so bad,

That master and men were nigh gone mad,

A rummerin’ whisper did begin

That’ twas all along of this here Finn:

For it is true, and on re-córd

There’ s no good luck with a Finn on board.

And the long and short of this debate

Was that one night our second mate,

Bein’ as mad as a man might be,

Pitched Eric Jansen into the sea:

For it is true, unless I’ ve erred,

There’ s no good luck with a Finn on board.

When all at once around there came

Over the sea a greenish flame,

And the biggest whale I ever spied,

Rose up by Eric Jansen’ s side:

For it is true, as you may’ ve inferred,

There’ s no good luck with a Finn on board.

And the Finn he got upon the whale,

And off in the flame we saw them sail;

Hearing a song as they fell behind,

Like women singing with the wind:

For it is true, as all have concurred,

There’ s no good luck with a Finn on board.

Off from the ship and off the shore,

And Eric Jansen we saw no more;

But from that hour, aboard that ship,

All went well for the rest of the trip:

For it is true, upon my word,

As you and I have often heard,

People may say it’ s all absurd,

And yet it holds as I averred,

And bein’ a fact it’ s on recórd,

Unless the best of men have erred,

As you may truly have inferred,

In which observers have concurred:

There’ s no good luck with a Finn on board.

“That story of the Finn,” said one to Brown,

“Is of the kind which hev been salted down,

Which is the reason, I suppose, why you

Take such a lot of pains to prove it’ s true.

When tales are c’ rect in all their fitnesses,

There ain’ t no need of forty witnesses,

Nor one at all I guess, but that’ s enough;

Now listen to the song of‘ Charley Buff,’

Who always said,‘ I am a truthful man:’”

He polished off his drink and thus began: