Careers
Father is quite the greatest poet That ever lived anywhere. You say you’re going to write great music— I chose that first: it’s unfair. Besides, now I can’t be the greatest painter and do Christ and angels, or lovely pears and apples and grapes on a green dish, or storms at sea, or anything lovely, Because that’s been taken by Claire. It’s stupid to be an engine-driver, And soldiers are horrible men. I won’t be a tailor,
I won’t be a sailor, And gardener’s taken by Ben. It’s unfair if you say that you’ll write great music, you horrid, you unkind (I sim- ply loathe you, though you are my sister), you beast, cad, coward, cheat, bully, liar! Well?
Say what’s left for me then! But we won’t go to your ugly music. (Listen!) Ben will garden and dig, And Claire will finish her wondrous pictures All flaming and splendid and big. And I’ll be a perfectly marvellous carpenter, and I’ll make cupboards and benches and tables and… and baths, and nice wooden boxes for studs and money, And you’ll be jealous, you pig!
Robert Graves
Other author posts
Love And Black Magic
To the woods, to the woods is the wizard gone; In his grotto the maiden sits alone She gazes up with a weary smile At the rafter-hanging crocodile, The slowly swinging crocodile Scorn has she of her master’s gear, Cauldron, alembic,...
Faun
Here down this very way, Here only yesterday King Faun went leaping He sang, with careless shout Hurling his name about; He sang, with oaken stock His steps from rock to rock In safety keeping, “Here Faun is free, Here Faun is free ” Tod...
Cherry-Time
Cherries of the night are Than the cherries pluckt at noon Gather to your fairy piper When he pipes his magic tune: Merry, merry, Take a cherry; Mine are sounder, Mine are rounder, Mine are sweeter For the eater Under the moon And you’ll...
She Tells Her Love
She tells her love while half asleep, In the dark hours, With half-words whispered low: As Earth stirs in her winter
