The Firm of Happiness, Limited

Norman Cameron

The Firm of Happiness, Limited was one to astonish the stars,
More like a thriving town than a multiple store--- a hotchpotch
Of markets and playrooms and chapels and brothels and baths and bars,
As smoothly running and closely packed as the works of a watch.

Nobody finally understood the cause of the crash.
Some spoke of Nemesis; others rumoured, vaguely, of course,
That a gang of directors jad simply robbed the firm of its cash,
Or that some ironical Jew was selling it short on the Bourse.

Whatever the reason, the firm of a sudden began to fail.
The floor were undusted at corners, the commissionaries were unshaved,
The girls were anxious and raucous, the comedians' jokes were stale.
The customers noticed the difference---to judge from the way they behaved.

When Happiness closed its doors, the Corporation of the city
Were distressed to see so vast a property left alone
To moulder and waste; in a mingled impulse of thrift and pity
They decided to buy the empty building, and floated a loan.

Now nobody knows what to do with this monstrous hulk we have bought.
At the last Corporation meeting one alderman, half in jest,
Spoke of turning it into a barracks.Meanwhile there's the dreary thought
That we ratepayers have to keep paying the burdensome interest.

幸福有限責任公司

諾爾曼·卡麥隆

幸福有限責任公司震驚星辰，
像百貨公司，更像興旺的城鎮－－
集市、游樂、酒吧、妓院、教堂、澡堂無所不包，
排列精密正如鐘表運轉有條不紊。

對它的倒閉人們始終不懂個中奧妙，
是上天懲罰還是人為災禍各有傳聞；
或者敗在卷走資金的領導集團？
或者毀于股市將它拋售的猶太商人？

公司突然開始崩潰，不管是何原因，
管理委員面容不整，地上角落布滿灰塵；
不安的小姐聲音嘶啞，笑星遭到厭棄，
顧客察覺到這一切變化，不再登門。

公司巨大的資產閑置、發霉，
看到這副景象市政機關實在痛心；
他們決定籌集貸款買下空樓，
既是為了節儉也是出于憐憫。

買下巨大的空樓無人知道如何處理，
用作工棚吧，市政會上議員的玩笑半假半真。
我們這些納稅人還得為它繼續支付利息，
想到這一點人人感到非常郁悶。