Poetry Month I
The Whole Duty of Children
A child should always say what's true
And speak when he is spoken to,
And behave mannerly at table;
At least as far as he is able.
Looking Forward
When I am grown to man's estate
I shall be very proud and great,
And tell the other girls and boys
Not to meddle with my toys.
The Lamplighter
My tea is nearly ready and the sun has left the sky.
It's time to take the window to see Leerie going by;
For every night at teatime and before you take your seat,
With lantern and with ladder he comes posting up the street.
Now Tom would be a driver and Maria go to sea,
And my papa's a banker and as rich as he can be;
But I, when I am stronger and can choose what I'm to do,
O Leerie, I'll go round at night and light the lamps with you!
For we are very lucky, with a lamp before the door,
And Leerie stops to light it as he lights so many more;
And oh! before you hurry by with ladder and with light,
O Leerie, see a little child and not to him tonight!
- Robert Louis Stevenson
Comments
Here are my two all-time favorite poems, both by Dorothy Parker:
Unfortunate Coincidence
By the time you swear you're his,
Shivering and sighing,
And he vows his passion is
Infinite, undying--
Lady, make a note of this:
One of you is lying.
One Perfect Rose
A single flow'r he sent me, since we met.
All tenderly his messenger he chose;
Deep-hearted, pure, with scented dew still wet--
One perfect rose.
I knew the language of the floweret;
"My fragile leaves," it said, "his heart enclose."
Love long has taken for his amulet
One perfect rose.
Why is it no one ever sent me yet
One perfect limousine, do you suppose?
Ah no, it's always just my luck to get
One perfect rose.
Posted by: jkm | April 5, 2005 08:54 PM
We can't have poems like this in front of the children!
Posted by: R J Keefe | April 5, 2005 08:57 PM
Ms. Parker had love dead-on.......
Posted by: PPOQ | April 6, 2005 07:08 AM
Assuming there are no children reading, how about this one from Ogden Nash:
Reflections on Ice Breaking
Candy
Is Dandy
But liquor
Is quicker.
Posted by: jkm | April 6, 2005 10:55 PM
Something from Sappho (as translated by Anne Carson) to consider:
I want to say something but shame
prevents me
yet if you had a desire for good or beautiful things
and your tongue were not concocting some evil to say,
shame would not hold down your eyes
but rather you would speak about what is just
Posted by: Ms. NOLA | April 6, 2005 11:25 PM