Item Information
Title
The Co-Ed, a poem by student Harvey Hatcher Hughes, Yackety Yack yearbook, 1906
Description
The poem The Co-Ed, written by student Harvey Hatcher Hughes for the 1906 Yackety Yak yearbook, describes a woman student walking across campus. Performed by Jeff Cornell
Creator
PlayMaker’s Repertory Company in collaboration with the University Archives at Louis Round Wilson Library
Date
2021
Language
English
Identifier
Transcription
Male Voice: A poem by student Harvey Hatcher Hughes published in the Yackety Yack yearbook, 1906
The Co-Ed.
She trips in sight with air serene
As Jove’s divine and stately queen;
The hum of conversation dies,
And all the campus turns to eyes;
The Freshman gapes, the Soph looks wise,
The Junior grins, the Senior sighs;
She proudly tilts her pretty nose
And through the crowd serenely goes,
She only condescends to smile,
Or to employ subtlest wile,
When in view there happens to be
A bachelor of the faculty;
She studies hard to use her “psych,”
And say the thing she knows he’ll like.
To Mr. Graham she breaks the ice
With, “Sixteenth English is so nice!”
If it chance to be “Doc” Bernard:
“That lovely Greek is oh, so hard!”
“Billy” Cain she attempts to boot
With, “conic sections are so cute!”
At Doctor Wilson she coyly looks,
And asks about the latest books,
And says, “Oh pray now do tell me!
Have you read the whole library?”
Each is struck dumb with sheer surprise
That she should be so wondrous wise.
On everything they ask her view -
Her notions are so very new!
Meanwhile the boys all look askance
And wonder when they’ll have a chance,
And wish the faculty only knew -
Well – just – a thing or two.
H. H. Hughes
The Co-Ed.
She trips in sight with air serene
As Jove’s divine and stately queen;
The hum of conversation dies,
And all the campus turns to eyes;
The Freshman gapes, the Soph looks wise,
The Junior grins, the Senior sighs;
She proudly tilts her pretty nose
And through the crowd serenely goes,
She only condescends to smile,
Or to employ subtlest wile,
When in view there happens to be
A bachelor of the faculty;
She studies hard to use her “psych,”
And say the thing she knows he’ll like.
To Mr. Graham she breaks the ice
With, “Sixteenth English is so nice!”
If it chance to be “Doc” Bernard:
“That lovely Greek is oh, so hard!”
“Billy” Cain she attempts to boot
With, “conic sections are so cute!”
At Doctor Wilson she coyly looks,
And asks about the latest books,
And says, “Oh pray now do tell me!
Have you read the whole library?”
Each is struck dumb with sheer surprise
That she should be so wondrous wise.
On everything they ask her view -
Her notions are so very new!
Meanwhile the boys all look askance
And wonder when they’ll have a chance,
And wish the faculty only knew -
Well – just – a thing or two.
H. H. Hughes