I beg you come to-night and dine. br A welcome waits you, and sound wine-- br The Roederer chilly to a charm, br As Juno's breath the claret warm, br The sherry of an ancient brand. br No Persian pomp, you understand-- br A soup, a fish, two meats, and then br A salad fit for aldermen br (When alderman, alas, the days! br Were really worth their mayonnaise); br A dish of grapes whose clusters won br Their bronze in Carolinian sun; br Next, cheese--for you the Neufchâtel, br A bit of Cheshire likes me well; br Café au lait or coffee black, br With Kirsch or Kümmel or Cognac br (The German band in Irving Place br By this time purple in the face); br Cigars and pipes. These being through, br Friends shall drop in, a very few-- br Shakespeare and Milton, and no more. br When these are guests I bolt the door, br With Not at Home to any one br Excepting Alfred Tennyson.