Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, THE BALLAD OF IMITATION, by HENRY AUSTIN DOBSON


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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

THE BALLAD OF IMITATION, by                 Poet Analysis     Poet's Biography
First Line: If they hint, o musician, the piece that you played
Last Line: And the man who plants cabbages imitates, too!
Alternate Author Name(s): Dobson, Austin
Subject(s): Art & Artists; Imitation; Music & Musicians; Poetry & Poets


'C'est imiter quelqu'un que de planter des choux.' --
ALFRED DE MUSSET.

IF they hint, O Musician, the piece that you played
Is nought but a copy of Chopin or Spohr;
That the ballad you sing is but merely 'conveyed'
From the stock of the Arnes and the Purcells of yore;
That there's nothing, in short, in the words or the score
That is not as out-worn as the 'Wandering Jew,'
Make answer -- Beethoven could scarcely do more --
That the man who plants cabbages imitates, too!

If they tell you, Sir Artist, your light and your shade
Are simply 'adapted' from other men's lore;
That -- plainly to speak of a 'spade' as a 'spade' --
You've 'stolen' your grouping from three or from four;
That (however the writer the truth may deplore),
'Twas Gainsborough painted your 'Little Boy Blue';
Smile only serenely -- though cut to the core --
For the man who plants cabbages imitates, too!

And you too, my Poet, be never dismayed
If they whisper your Epic -- 'Sir Eperon d'Or' --
Is nothing but Tennyson thinly arrayed
In a tissue that's taken from Morris's store;
That no one, in fact, but a child could ignore
That you 'lift' or 'accommodate' all that you do;
Take heart -- though your Pegasus' withers be sore --
For the man who plants cabbages imitates, too!

POSTSCRIPTUM -- And you, whom we all so adore,
Dear Critics, whose verdicts are always so new! --
One word in your ear. There were Critics before...
And the man who plants cabbages imitates, too!





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