Did you ask dulcet rhymes from me? Did you seek the civilian's peaceful and languishing rhymes? Did you find what I sang erewhile so hard to follow? Why I was not singing erewhile for you to follow, to understand--nor am I now; (I have been born of the same as the war was born, The drum-corps' rattle is ever to me sweet music, I love well the martial dirge, With slow wail and convulsive throb leading the officer's funeral;) What to such as you anyhow such a poet as I? therefore leave my works, And go lull yourself with what you can understand, and with pianotunes, For I lull nobody, and you will never understand me. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...HELEN AND THETIS by ALCAEUS OF MYTILENE THE BLASPHEMER'S WARNING; A LAY OF ST. ROMWOLD by RICHARD HARRIS BARHAM WHAT SAID THE LITTLE ADMIRAL? by WILLIAM ROSE BENET THE EMIGRANT LASSIE by JOHN STUART BLACKIE IN THE KING'S ENGLISH by BERTON BRALEY THE WANDERER: 2. IN FRANCE: TO MIGNONNE by EDWARD ROBERT BULWER-LYTTON A FLOWER OF THE FIELDS by MADISON JULIUS CAWEIN BRAVE DAYS OF OLD by J. KNOX CHRISTIE LINES FROM A NOTEBOOK - JANUARY 1808 by SAMUEL TAYLOR COLERIDGE |