A children’s rhyme by Michael Wynn (the author’s own translation from Norwegian)
With hat and frock, Chaplin wandered broke
to the cafe where his lover drank and smoked
Then the husband came, furiously provoked,
and threw Chaplin’s hat on the ground quite stoked.
Startled, Chaplin kicked before he spoke
the old pig lost his stick, nearly choked
as he stumbled and the waiter groped
Chaplin’s pretty coat unprovoked.
The geezer came rushing like a young bloke,
Dressed in his long, fancy cloak
and, with a backstroke,
tipped Chaplin’s hat down in the gutter like the worst kind of folk
It was an unsavory joke
Chaplin cried “Give me my hat, you moke!”
But, pacing the sewer before Chaplin’s head-wear would soak,
A lady emerged from the throng and uncloaked.
Rescuing Chaplin’s hat, that woman woke
his desires, nearly giving him a stroke
leaving him to plead and invoke
reasons for them to kiss and bespoke.
