La Salle University - Explorer Yearbook (Philadelphia, PA)

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FACULTY V 4 «

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Farewell! Like a bee Reluctant to leave The sweet deeps Of a peony . . . Basho 28

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The master had a student who came to inquire about the Way. But instead of listening, the student kept talking about his own ideas. After a while, the master served tea. He poured tea into the student ' s cup until it was full, then he kept on pouring. Finally the student could not restrain himself. Don ' t you see that it ' s full? he said. You can ' t get any more in! Just so, replied the master, stopping at last. And like this cup, you are filled with your own ideas. How can you expect me to give you knowledge of the Way unless you offer me an empty cup? old Zen fable. SONG (a more specific title: THE SONG) CHANT IN RAPID MONOTONE CHORUS: (1) Leonardus and Benildus, old McShanus and Edwardus, Cardiacus and Franciscus, cold McCarthus and Windsorus FADING TO SOLEMN, STIRRING, TYPI- CAL OLD SCHOOL SONG TYPE MELODY CHORUS: (2] Ye Bachelors and Masters and Doctors And Wandering Scholars all, Take your rightful place of residence In the Halls of Old La Salle SLOW, SENTIMENTAL SOLO: (3) For scholars are poor and lean, me boys With nary a shirt to their backs QUICK, COMIC CHORUS: (4) And their roofs they leak and their doors they squeak And ye count the ribs o ' their cats. SLOW, SENTIMENTAL SOLO: (5) So the Halls of Old La Salle, me boys, Where we are learnfed and gay QUICK, COMIC CHORUS: (6) And the rabbits are bold and the build- ings are cold And the quadrangle blooms in the May, SLOW, SENTIMENTAL SOLO: (7) Is the place for the Wandering Scholars, boys, To come to their ultimate rest And trade the black and blue of the world For the blue and old gold of the best RAUCOUS, QUICK CHORUS: (8) Of the best, of the best, of the best, of the best. Of the best damn old school in the West. SOLEMN, STIRRING (9) Ye Bachelors and Masters and Doctors, And Wandering Scholars all Take your rightful place of residence In the Halls of Old La Salle. Footnotes (references are to stanzas): 1. A considerable amount of research has gone into the Latinizing of these names, though it would have been absolutely in keeping with the spirit of the drinking song to spoof. See Carmina Burana for type of chant. I cannot be more specific; the member of the English faculty (whose name we all known) who regularly expro- priates records and books from B105 is active again. 2. Old La Salle is an absolute must in this type of thing, as is Halls. Resi- dence should be belted out, and the tempo increased in the last line. 3. The subtle allusion to the Clothing Reg- ulations will escape no one. For me boys, non-irish please read m ' boys. 4. The best songs take their point of de- parture from place and condition actually in being ( the tables down at Moray ' s ). Note pun on cats. 5. Well, gay anyhow. 6. A very thorough reading of certain lines in Chaucer may not be obvious (see also stanzas 3 and 4). 7. The logic of the reasoning up to this point is irrefutable. After this, it gets ap- propriately hazy (see Dartmouth ' s the granite of New Hampshire In their mus- cles and their brains. 8. There ' s a certain joyous naivete about this sort of song, and there ' s nothing that the more sophisticated can do about it (English Majors will just have to suffer). At this point there should be a shattering reverberation of cymbals and glass (gob- lets, if possible — if not, the windows of Benilde Hall will do). 9. Prolonged cheering, cat-calls (see stanza 4), booing, and general conduct becoming a collegiate rally. Sincerely, Claude Koch Department of English