Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, CYNICAL ODE TO AN ULTRA-CYNICAL PUBLIC, by CHARLES MACKAY


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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

CYNICAL ODE TO AN ULTRA-CYNICAL PUBLIC, by                     Poet's Biography
First Line: You prefer a buffoon to a scholar
Last Line: Pig of a public!
Subject(s): Cynicism; Politics & Government


You prefer a buffoon to a scholar,
A harlequin to a teacher,
A jester to a statesman,
An Anonyma flaring on horseback
To a modest and spotless woman --
Brute of a public!

You think that to sneer shows wisdom,
That a gibe outvalues a reason,
That slang, such as thieves delight in,
Is fit for the lips of the gentle,
And rather a grace than a blemish,
Thick-headed public!

You think that if merit's exalted
'Tis excellent sport to decry it,
And trail its good name in the gutter;
And that cynics, white-gloved and cravatted,
Are the cream and quintessence of all things,
Ass of a public!

You think that success must be merit,
That honour and virtue and courage
Are all very well in their places,
But that money's a thousand times better;
Detestable, stupid, degraded
Pig of a public!





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