Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, VACATIONAL, by PHILIP GUEDALLA


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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

VACATIONAL, by                     Poet's Biography
First Line: Gentlemen lately returned to your colleges
Last Line: Sweet are the uses of our university.
Subject(s): Oxford University


GENTLEMEN lately returned to your Colleges,
There to repose from a vigorous Vac.,
Sadly imperfect the state of my knowledge is,
What are the pleasures on which you look back?

Was it Parisian, Meadows Elysian,
Foys that would soften the heart of a Frisian,
Moulin Roujollity, Rue de Rivolity,
Carrying on with young ladies of quality?

Was it Bavarian, frankly agrarian,
Far from the crowd as the Isthmus of Darien,
House with a pretty gate far from the City gate,
Hat with a feather and Lager unmitigate?

Or Caledonian, walking Serbonian
Bogs in pursuit of illusory cony, annoying
neurotic and elderly partridges
With a quite disproportionate outlay of cartridges?

Was it -- oh! finally, was it Tyrolean,
Standing on top of a view like Napoleon,
Mostly funicular, quite perpendicular,
Lots of new friends, if you aren't so particular?

Now you are back again where you can slack again,
Reading of novels like "When it was Black" again
Wearing of socks of a rainbow diversity:
Sweet are the uses of our University.





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