All Poems

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He hurried away, young heart of joy, under our Devon sky!
And I watched him go, my beautiful boy, and a weary woman was I.
For my hair is grey, and his was gold; he'd the best of his life to live;
And I'd loved him so, and I'm old, I'm old; and he's all I had to give.

Enemy Conscript

© Robert William Service

What are we fighting for,
We fellows who go to war?
fighting for Freedom's sake!
(You give me the belly-ache.)

Spanish Men

© Robert William Service

The Men of Seville are, they say,
The laziest of Spain.
Consummate artists in delay,
Allergical to strain;

Second Childhood

© Robert William Service

When I go on my morning walk,
Because I'm mild,
If I be in the mood to talk
I choose a child.

I Shall Not Burn

© Robert William Service

Fools and fools and fools are you
Who your dears to fires confide;
Give to Mother Earth her due:
Flesh may waste but bone will bide,--
Let loved ones lie side by side.

A Bachelor

© Robert William Service

'Why keep a cow when I can buy,'
Said he, 'the milk I need,'
I wanted to spit in his eye
Of selfishness and greed;
But did not, for the reason he
Was stronger than I be.

Aunt Jane

© Robert William Service

When Aunt Jane died we hunted round,
And money everywhere we found.
How much I do not care to say,
But no death duties will we pay,
And Aunt Jane will be well content
We bilked the bloody Government.

The Leaning Tower

© Robert William Service

Having an aged hate of height
I forced myself to climb the Tower,
Yet paused at every second flight
Because my heart is scant of power;
Then when I gained the sloping summit
Earthward I stared, straight as a plummet.

Old Crony

© Robert William Service

Said she: 'Although my husband Jim
Is with his home content,
I never should have married him,
We are so different.

Divine Device

© Robert William Service

Would it be loss or gain
To hapless human-kind
If we could feel no pain
Of body or of mind?

Wine Bibber

© Robert William Service

I would rather drink than eat,
And though I superbly sup,
Food, I feel, can never beat
Delectation of the cup.

Eighty Not Out

© Robert William Service

In the gay, gleamy morn I adore to go walking,
And oh what sweet people I meet on my way!
I hail them with joy for I love to be talking,
Although I have nothing important to say.

Longevity

© Robert William Service

Said Brown: 'I can't afford to die
For I have bought annuity,
And every day of living I
Have money coming in to me:
While others toil to make their bread
I make mine by not being dead.'

Anti-Profanity

© Robert William Service

I do not swear because I am
A sweet and sober guy;
I cannot vent a single damn
However hard I try.

Sea Change

I saw a Priest in beetle black
Come to our golden beach,
And I was taken sore aback
Lest he should choose to preach
And chide me for my only wear,
A "Gee" string and a brassière.

Window Shopper

I stood before a candy shop
Which with a Christmas radiance shone;
I saw my parents pass and stop
To grin at me and then go on.

Murderers

He was my best and oldest friend.
I'd known him all my life.
And yet I'm sure towards the end
He knew I loved his wife,
And wonder, wonder if it's why
He came so dreadfully to die.

The Receptionist

France is the fairest land on earth,
Lovely to heart's desire,
And twice a year I span its girth,
Its beauty to admire.

A Grain Of Sand

If starry space no limit knows
And sun succeeds to sun,
There is no reason to suppose
Our earth the only one.

The Trapper's Christmas Eve

It's mighty lonesome-like and drear.
Above the Wild the moon rides high,
And shows up sharp and needle-clear
The emptiness of earth and sky;