Andrew Lang (1844-1912)
'A Highly Valuable Chain of Thoughts'
1HAD cigarettes no ashes,
2 And roses ne'er a thorn,
3No man would be a funker
4Of whin, or burn, or bunker.
5There were no need for mashies,
6 The turf would ne'er be torn,
7Had cigarettes no ashes,
8 And roses ne'er a thorn.
9Had cigarettes no ashes,
10 And roses ne'er a thorn,
11The big trout would not ever
12Escape into the river.
13No gut the salmon smashes
14 Would leave us all forlorn,
15Had cigarettes no ashes,
16 And roses ne'er a thorn.
17But 'tis an unideal
18 Sad world in which we're born,
19And things will 'go contrairy'
20With Martin and with Mary:
21And every day the real
22 Comes bleakly in with morn,
23And cigarettes have ashes,
24 And every rose a thorn.
Notes
3] funker: flincher.
4] whin: gorse.
burn: brook.
5] mashies: mid-irons in golf.
Online text copyright © 2009, Ian Lancashire (the Department of English) and the University of Toronto.
Published by the Web Development Group, Information Technology Services, University of Toronto Libraries.
Original text: The Poetical Works of Andrew Lang, ed. Mrs. Lang, 4 vols. (London: Longmans, Green & Co., 1923): III, 138-39. British Library 011645.ee.47
RPO poem editor: Ian Lancashire
RP edition: RPO 2001
Recent editing: 2:2002/2/20
Rhyme: ABccabAB ABccabAB dBccdbAB
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