Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, ANTICIPATION, by WINTHROP MACKWORTH PRAED


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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

ANTICIPATION, by                 Poet Analysis     Poet's Biography
First Line: Oh, yes! He is in parliament; / he's been returning thanks
Last Line: You won't believe them yet!


'Oh, yes! he is in Parliament;
He's been returning thanks;
You can't conceive the time he's spent
Already on his franks.
He'll think of nothing, night and day,
But place, and the gazette':
No matter what the people say, --
You won't believe them yet.

'He filled an album, long ago,
With such delicious rhymes;
Now we shall only see, you know,
His speeches in the "Times";
And liquid tone and beaming brow,
Bright eyes and locks of jet,
He'll care for no such nonsense now': --
Oh! don't believe them yet!

'I vow he's turned a Goth, a Hun,
By that disgusting Bill;
He'll never make another pun;
He's danced his last quadrille.
We shall not see him flirt again
With any fair coquette;
He'll never laugh at Drury Lane.' --
Psha! -- don't believe them yet.

'Last week I heard his uncle boast
He's sure to have the seals;
I read it in the "Morning Post"
That he has dined at Peel's;
You'll never see him any more,
He's in a different set;
He cannot eat at half-past four': --
No? -- don't believe them yet.

'In short, he'll soon be false and cold,
And infinitely wise;
He'll grow next year extremely old,
He'll tell enormous lies;
He'll learn to flatter and forsake,
To feign and to forget': --
Oh, whisper -- or my heart will break --
You won't believe them yet!





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