Ernest Meissonier, French
Paul Revere Pregaming Before His Midnight Ride, 1864
Oil on panel
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MASTERPIECE #3278
Info, or perhaps links that point to more info, about this artist can be found here, here (archived if necessary), here, here, here, here (can be read in full for free on Fridays), here (archived if necessary), here, here, here (archived if necessary), here, and here, perhaps in addition to what’s in his Wikipedia page (Google translated French Wikipedia page has more).
/// In the Inn, alcoholic drinks flowed,
then the time came for “one for the road.”
Stirrup Cup, (one last snort,
often sherry or port),
downed on horseback, and then off he rode.
/// For the fox hunt he’s dressed all in red,
and the other drunk hunters ahead
are attired just the same.
Can’t see straight to take aim,
so it’s possible they’ll be shot dead.
/// The proprietor waits, hand on hip,
while the rider consumes his last sip.
At the door, wife and child
of the Innkeeper smiled;
though he’s bared his calf, he’ll get no tip.
/// Guy (“red rider”) had been much too free
with the Innkeeper’s wife, and so she,
to the brim had filled up
Guy Chasseur’s stirrup cup.
(Stirred it up with a soupçon of pee.)
/// After placing his glass on the plate,
Guy Chasseur made the fox hunters wait.
He is much like his horse
in the volume and force
when he urgently must urinate.
/// Later, slurred shouts rang out: “Tallyho!”
to let hounds know just where they must go.
Soon they’d cornered the fox,
(which was brought in a box
and released to put on a good show)