Alfred Noyes

Japanese Doves (1941)

“Japan has the heart of a dove of peace, but a snake—the United States and Great Britain—has placed its eggs in the dove’s nest,” said a Japanese spokesman.

Somebody went round slapping faces;
Slapped white women and smacked white men.
(Small mistake! And a doll’s grimaces!
Somebody, now, is a child of ten!)
Mellica laying an egg in a dove-nest,
Egg of an adder. By small mistake,
Dove, if broody, might sit on a love-nest,
Keep on sitting, and hatch out a snake!

Somebody want to keep the East all yellow.
That’s why he kill John Chinaman. See?
That’s why Hitler the velly best fellow.
(Somebody grinned like a chimpanzee.)
Japanee take white man to Sing-Sing.
Japanee make dam fine Police.
White man strip, till he don’t wear ting-ting.
Somebody, now, is a dove of peace.

Somebody tink three bombs assist you,
Dropped on ship of the C.P.R.
(Small mistake. So solly we missed you.
Take off hats to the British tar.
If it had sunk, and left no traces,
We could have said it was done by Greece.)
Somebody went round walloping faces.
Somebody, now, is a duck of peace.

Somebody see the English soldiers
Marching away to Mellican band.
Wonder why this Mellican music
Make them happy; don’t understand.
Somebody tink it mean “don’t worry!
See you later; and then some more!”
Axis always in too dam hurry!
(Who’s that singing, in Singapore?)

Somebody wanted to stamp like Prussia.
Somebody’s grown too big for his boots.
Mellican fleet is not like Russia.
What will be left if Mellica shoots?—
Japanee fleet in the grim tide-races
Turning to junks as the thunders cease—
Somebody’s finished with slapping faces.
Somebody, now, is a dove of peace.

For notes about Noyes see Old Japan; for notes about ‘Japanese Doves’ and Noyes’s relation with Japan see CA2 in the Bibliography.