Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, THE LAKE ISLE, by EZRA POUND



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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

THE LAKE ISLE, by             Poem Explanation     Poet Analysis     Poet's Biography
First Line: O god, o venus, o mercury, patron of thieves
Last Line: Where one needs one's brains all the time.


O God, O Venus, O Mercury, patron of thieves,
Give me in due time, I beseech you, a little tobacco-shop,
With the little bright boxes
piled up neatly upon the shelves
And the loose fragrant cavendish
and the shag,
And the bright Virginia
loose under the bright glass cases,
And a pair of scales not too greasy,
And the whores dropping in for a word or two in passing,
For a flip word, and to tidy their hair a bit.

O God, O Venus, O Mercury, patron of thieves,
Lend me a little tobacco-shop,
or install me in any profession
Save this damn'd profession of writing,
where one needs one's brains all the time.





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