Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, FIN DE SIECLE, by EDMUND VANCE COOKE



Poetry Explorer

Classic and Contemporary Poetry

FIN DE SIECLE, by                    
First Line: This life's a hollow bubble
Last Line: Don't you know?


THIS LIFE'S A HOLLOW bubble,
Don't you know?
Just a painted piece of twouble,
Don't you know?
We come to earth to cwy,
We gwow oldeh and we sigh,
Oldeh still and then we die,
Don't you know?

It is all a howwid mix,
Don't you know?
Business, love and politics,
Don't you know?
Clubs and pawties, cliques and sets,
Fashions, follies, sins, wegwets,
Stwuggle, stwife and cigawettes,
Don't you know?

And we wowwy through each day,
Don't you know?
In a sort of, kind of way,
Don't you know?
We are hungry, we are fed,
Some few things are done and said,
We are tihed, we go to bed,
Don't you know?

Business, oh, that's beastly twade,
Don't you know?
Something's lost or something's made,
Don't you know?
And you wowwy, and you mope,
And you hang youah highest hope
On the pwice, pe'haps of soap,
Don't you know?

Politics! oh, just a lawk,
Don't you know?
Just a nightmeah in the dawk,
Don't you know?
You pe'spiah all day and night,
And afteh all the fight,
Why, pe'haps the w'ong man's wight,
Don't you know?

Society? Is dwess,
Don't you know?
And a sou'ce of much distwess,
Don't you know?
To determine what to weah,
When to go and likewise wheah,
And how to pawt youah haih,
Don't you know?

Love? Oh yes. You meet some gi'l,
Don't you know?
An' you get in such a whi'l,
Don't you know?
Then you kneel down on the floah
And imploah and adoah --
And it's all a beastly boah,
Don't you know?

So theah's weally nothing in it,
Don't you know?
And we live just for the minute,
Don't you know?
For when you've seen and felt,
Dwank and eaten, heahd and smelt,
Why all the cawds are dealt,
Don't you know?

You've one consciousness, that's all,
Don't you know?
And one stomach, and it's small,
Don't you know?
You can only weah one tie,
One eyeglass in youah eye,
And one coffin when you die.
Don't you know?





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