Shake, Mulleary And Go-Ethe

I     I have a bookcase, which is what     Many much better men have not.     There are no books inside, for books,     I am afraid, might spoil its looks.     But I've three busts, all second-hand,     Upon the top. You understand     I could not put them underneath -     Shake, Mulleary and Go-ethe.              II     Shake was a dramatist of note;     He lived by writing things to quote,     He long ago put on his shroud:     Some of his works are rather loud.     His bald-spot's dusty, I suppose.     I know there's dust upon his nose.     I'll have to give each nose a sheath -     Shake, Mulleary and Go-ethe.                          III     Mulleary's line was quite the same;     He has more hair, but far less fame.     I would not from that fame retrench -     But he is foreign, being French.     Yet high his haughty head he heaves,     The only one done up in leaves,     They're rather limited on wreath -     Shake, Mulleary and Go-ethe.              IV     Go-ethe wrote in the German tongue:     He must have learned it very young.     His nose is quite a butt for scoff,     Although an inch of it is off.     He did quite nicely for the Dutch;     But here he doesn't count for much.     They all are off their native heath -     Shake, Mulleary and Go-ethe.                 V     They sit there, on their chests, as bland     As if they were not second-hand.     I do not know of what they think,     Nor why they never frown or wink,     But why from smiling they refrain     I think I clearly can explain:     They none of them could show much teeth -     Shake, Mulleary and Go-ethe.                             H. C. Bunner.