They make thin perfume of a Renaissance, The birth of man a library bibelot; While life is muted to old ladies' wants, Gracious they mince their Michelangelo. And sweet innocuous dolls of porcelain, They hide frail lips from crudities of sun, And guard expensive cheeks from weather-stain: Their little deeds are exquisitely done! So they dine delicate with curtains drawn, (As all men dine, they hope) and think it odd To ask who labored, or what ravens brought From some far land of bright, perpetual dawn Exotic feasts so effortlessly bought -- And innocent they thank an angry God! | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...EPITAPH ON THE ADMIRABLE DRAMATIC POET, WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE by JOHN MILTON THE GENTLE CHECK by JOSEPH BEAUMONT NATALIA'S RESURRECTION: 6 by WILFRID SCAWEN BLUNT ON AN INFANT UNBORN, AND THE MOTHER DYING IN TRAVAIL by WILLIAM BROWNE (1591-1643) ADDRESS TO EDINBURGH by ROBERT BURNS TOWARDS DEMOCRACY: PART 2. OF THE LOVE THAT YOU POURED FORTH by EDWARD CARPENTER |