ORROW, or burst-burst, or borrow?
Still sadly musing, the bankrupt says; Which, which is the wiser thing to do: Borrow, and ruin a friend or two?
Or burst, and offer a small per cent.
On the business debts and money lent?
Borrow, or burst-burst, or borrow?
Are burning words in the bankrupt's brain;
Cast down like one awaiting his doom,
He frets all day in his counting-room,
With nerves unstrung and with anxious eye,
He stares at figures that never lie.
Borrow, or burst-burst, or borrow?
Are ever uppermost in his thoughts;
His waking hours and his midnight dreams,
To pay his debts hatch a thousand schemes;
His pride is stung and his credit lost,
With an honored name he prizes most.
Borrow, or burst-burst, or borrow?
Ring like a knell in his startled ear;
O'er ruins the hapless merchant grieves,
While hopes lie withered like autumn leaves;
With weary head and a heavy heart,
He sees his visions of wealth depart.
Borrow, or burst-burst, or borrow?
Still musing, the honest merchant says;
His losses are such that he cannot pay,
And he lives on a rack, day after day;
With motives pure that the just will commend, 'Tis better to burst than ruin a friend.
Borrow, or burst-burst, or borrow?
What course shall the worthy bankrupt choose? Retench at home, and eschew the law,
Maintain a name that's without a flaw;
Burst, and, if right, do the best you canYour books should prove you an honest man.
Borrow, or burst-burst, or borrow?
Hums the proud knave with a careless air;
Pink of a fop, he smells of perfume,
And struts around in his counting-room;
To hear him brag of his matchless stock,
One might suppose him firm as a rock.
Borrow, or burst-burst, or borrow?
Oh! what has honor to do with him?
No one would think him a dirty scrub,
Who dines and plays at the flashy club,
Where witlings, fools, and bankrupts shine
Mid sparkling jewels and sparkling wine.
Borrow, or burst-burst, or borrow?
Never troubles his brainless noddle;
Proud as a monarch that wears a crown,
He laughs at virtue and sneers it down;
Mid curling smoke of the fragrant weed,
He'll sign a note or a worthless deed.
Borrow, or burst-burst, or borrow?
He whistles oft to a nameless tune;
He curses the duns that on him call,
And boasts of wealth while his purse is small-
Yet smaller still than his purse or brains
Is the rotten heart that his breast contains.
Borrow, or burst-burst, or borrow?
In for the desperate game of chance;
Shuffle the cards and rattle the dice-
A fig for honor; it has its price;
On, on with the game, thou braggart brave,
The cut may be what thou art—a knave.
Borrow, or burst-burst, or borrow?
Money is king, and gold is a god;
With conscience seared and an iron will,
No matter the means, your coffers fill;
Let cynics sneer, and let blockheads laugh,
The millions kneel to the golden calf.
Borrow, or burst-burst, or borrow?
A fool will indorse or lend his note;
Let him be rich with a blameless name,
Let him just think that you are the same,
So long as he has not found you out,
You'll get what you want, beyond a doubt.
Borrow, or burst-burst, or borrow?
Why ever burst if you can borrow?
Think of some friend with a kindly heart,
Who blindly deems you honest and smart;
He may have toiled till his eyes are dim-
Where is the harm if you ruin him?
Borrow, or burst-burst, or borrow?
Never burst up for a paltry sum,
Else, every time you look in the glass,
You'll see the counterpart of an ass;
Save all your shot for a nobler aim
Than killing yourself without a name.
Borrow, or burst-burst, or borrow?
Consignments are big, yet trade is dull;
Go, and do what your neighbors have done,
And the prize is gained, the goal is won;
While cash is scarce and ambition burns,
Sell off the goods and make no returns.
Borrow, or burst-burst, or borrow?
Perhaps to the church you may belong;
While preachers point to a blest abode,
Your mind is fixed on the hellward road:
A saintly face and a cushioned pew
May pave the way of success for you.
Borrow, or burst-burst, or borrow?
Thou parlor fop and yet bankrupt knave;
Put off the day and new schemes devise,
No matter the cost or sacrifice;
Let Shylocks curse, and your victims frown,
When your air-built castles tumble down.
Borrow, or burst-burst, or borrow?
You've no iron bolts or bars to fear;
The laws are good and the lawyers kind,
The Courts are pure and old Justice blind; The Judge will issue a sure decree
To pay thy debts and set thee frec.
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