SONNETS AND VERSE

BY H. BELLOC DUCKWORTH & CO. 3 HENRIETTA STREET, LONDON, W.C. {iv} First Published in 1923 All rights reserved Made and Printed in Great Britain by Turnbull & Spears, Edinburgh {v} To JOHN SWINNERTON PHILLIMORE A DEDICATION WITH THIS BOOK OF VERSE

CONTENTS

{1}

I SONNETS

{3}{2}

I

II

III

IV

V

VI

VII

VIII

IX

X

XI

XII

XIII

XIV

XV

XVI

XVII

XVIII

XIX

XX

XXI

XXII

XXIII

XXIV

XXV

XXVI

XXVII

XXVIII

XXIX

XXX

XXXI

II LYRICAL, DIDACTIC AND GROTESQUE

{37}{36}

TO DIVES

STANZAS WRITTEN ON BATTERSEA BRIDGE DURING A SOUTH-WESTERLY GALE

{41}

THE SOUTH COUNTRY

THE FANATIC

THE EARLY MORNING

OUR LORD AND OUR LADY

COURTESY

THE NIGHT

THE LEADER

A BIVOUAC

I

II

III

TO THE BALLIOL MEN STILL IN AFRICA

VERSES TO A LORD WHO, IN THE HOUSE OF LORDS, SAID THAT THOSE WHO OPPOSED THE SOUTH AFRICAN ADVENTURE CONFUSED SOLDIERS WITH MONEY-GRUBBERS

THE REBEL

THE PROPHET LOST IN THE HILLS AT EVENING

THE END OF THE ROAD

AN ORACLE THAT WARNED THE WRITER WHEN ON PILGRIMAGE

Translation of the above:—

THE DEATH AND LAST CONFESSION OF WANDERING PETER

DEDICATORY ODE

DEDICATION ON THE GIFT OF A BOOK TO A CHILD

DEDICATION OF A CHILD’S BOOK OF IMAGINARY TALES WHEREIN WRONG-DOERS SUFFER

HOMAGE

I

II

THE MOON’S FUNERAL

I

II

THE HAPPY JOURNALIST

LINES TO A DON

NEWDIGATE POEM

A PRIZE POEM SUBMITTED BY MR LAMBKIN, THEN SCHOLAR AND LATER FELLOW OF BURFORD COLLEGE, TO THE EXAMINERS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD ON THE PRESCRIBED POETIC THEME SET BY THEM IN 1893, “THE BENEFITS OF THE ELECTRIC LIGHT”

THE YELLOW MUSTARD

THE POLITICIAN OR THE IRISH EARLDOM

THE LOSER

III SONGS

{99}{98}

NOËL

I

II

III

IV

THE BIRDS

IN A BOAT

SONG

INVITING THE INFLUENCE OF A YOUNG LADY UPON THE OPENING YEAR

I

II

THE RING

CUCKOO!

THE LITTLE SERVING MAID

I

II

III

IV

V

VI

AUVERGNAT

DRINKING SONG ON THE EXCELLENCE OF BURGUNDY WINE

DRINKING DIRGE

ENVOI

WEST SUSSEX DRINKING SONG

Chorus.

Chorus.

A BALLAD ON SOCIOLOGICAL ECONOMICS

HERETICS ALL

HA’NACKER MILL

TARANTELLA

THE CHAUNTY OF THE “NONA”

I

II

III

IV

V

VI

THE WINGED HORSE

I

II

III

IV

STREPHON’S SONG

(FROM “THE CRUEL SHEPHERDESS”)

IV BALLADES

{131}{130}

SHORT BALLADE AND POSTSCRIPT ON CONSOLS AND BOERS

I

II

III

Envoi.

Postscript.

Last Envoi.

BALLADE OF THE UNANSWERED QUESTION

I

II

III

Envoi

BALLADE TO OUR LADY OF CZESTOCHOWA

I

II

III

Envoi

BALLADE OF HELL AND OF MRS ROEBECK

I

II

III

Envoi

BALLADE OF UNSUCCESSFUL MEN

I

II

III

Envoi

BALLADE OF THE HERESIARCHS

I

II

III

Envoi

V EPIGRAMS

{147}{146}

I

On His Books

II

On Noman, a Guest

III

A Trinity

IV

On Torture, a Public Singer

V

On Paunch, a Parasite

VI

On Hygiene

VII

On Lady Poltagrue, a Public Peril

VIII

The Mirror

IX

The Elm

X

The Telephone

XI

The Statue

XII

Epitaph on the Favourite Dog of a Politician

XIII

Epitaph on the Politician Himself

XIV

Another on the Same

XV

On Mundane Acquaintances

XVI

On a Rose for Her Bosom

XVII

On the Little God

XVIII

On a Prophet

XIX

On a Dead Hostess

XX

On a Great Election

XXI

On a Mistaken Mariner

XXII

On a Sleeping Friend

XXIII

Fatigued

XXIV

On Benicia, who Wished Him Well

XXV

The False Heart

XXVI

Partly from the Greek

VI THE BALLAD OF VAL-ÈS-DUNES

{157}{156}

THE VICTORY OF WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR IN HIS YOUTH OVER THE REBELS AT VAL-ÈS-DUNES IN THE YEAR 1047

[This piece of verse is grossly unhistorical. Val-ès-Dunes is not on the sea but inland. No Norman blazoned a shield or a church window in the middle eleventh century, still less would he frame one in silver, and I doubt gilt spurs. It was not the young Bastard of Falaise, but the men of the King in Paris that really won the battle. There was nothing Scandinavian left in Normandy, and whatever there had been five generations before was slight. The Colentin had no more Scandinavian blood than the rest. There is no such place as Longuevaile. There is a Hauteville, but it has no bay and had nothing to do with the Harcourts, and the Harcourts were not of Bloodroyal—and so forth.]

I

II

III

IV

V

VI

VII

VIII

IX

X

XI

XII

XIII

XIV

XV

XVI

XVII

XVIII

XIX

XX

XXI

FOOTNOTES:

[A]

[B]

[C] Never mind.

[D]

[E] To be pronounced as a monosyllable in the Imperial fashion.

[F] Mr Punt, Mr Howl, and Mr Grewcock (now, alas, deceased).

[G] A neat rendering of “Sublimi feriam sidera vertice.”

[H] To the Examiners: These facts (of which I guarantee the accuracy) were given me by a Director.

[I] A reminiscence of Milton: “Fas est et ab hoste docere.”

[J] Lambkin told me he regretted this line, which was for the sake of Rhyme. He would willingly have replaced it, but to his last day could construct no substitute.