It is night It is a Johannesburg night Stars mingle With neon lights All a merry twinkle Of confusion It is night in Johannesburg And a jazz musician Goes home.
"Let us be merry, rich, light, earnest, courteous, virtuous and well mannered," Walser exhorts, as if invoking a scout's oath for the well-rounded metropolitan.
But instead of going merry and festive, the lighting has a consumptive pallor.
Sunday's "debate" among seven candidates for governor of New York State was a light political merry-go-round, a 90-minute whirl in which each candidate had no more than a dozen minutes to address issues great and incredibly minor.
Then there were the holiday events where I was supposed to be light-hearted, joyful and merry.
"Have yourself a merry little Christmas, let your heart be light; next year all our troubles will be out of sight".
In lieu of a tip, offer your server or barista a loud and proud "MERRY CHRISTMAS!" on your way out, and watch their faces light up.
"Balthazar," said someone else, responding to different cues: the lemony light of a brasserie, the cramped seating and the merry commotion.
Head upstairs - past the kitchen where Vietnamese delicacies like roasted crickets and jellyfish salad are being busily cooked - to the roof terrace with low lighting and kneeling mats for a cosy atmosphere in which to get merry.
