Classic Poem

When fires wax dim and chimnies growl,
And tea and toast no more go round,
And sits mine host like solemn owl,
And Mirth lies snoring on the ground
Beneath the dining-table laid,
And folks 'gin cry with sleepy head
‘O dear!
What shall we do?’—a drowsy note,—
Then read or say these rhymes by rote.

When cards nor music show their power,
Nor, best of all, the light quadrille,
‘To dispossess the present hour,’
And jog old Time against his will;—
When puzzles e'en are heard with glee,
And folks begin to cry, ‘Bless me!
O dear!
What can it be?’—a tedious note,—
Then read or say these rhymes by rote.