On the Bust of Helen by Canova
In this beloved marble view,
Above the works and thought of man
What nature could and would not, do,
And beauty and Canova can!
Beyond imagination’s power
Beyond the Bard’s defeated art,
With immortality her dower
Behold the Helen of the heart!— George Gordon, Lord Byron (1788–1824)
Precious Stones
My Cherrystones! I prize them,
No tongue can tell how much!
Each lady caller eyes them,
And madly longs to touch!
At eve I lift them down, I look
Upon them, and I cry;
Recalling how my Prince ‘partook’
(Sweet word) of cherry pie!— Charles Stuart Calverly (1831–84)
A Glass Collection
Today I had a big surprise
Uncle left me eight glass eyes.
He never used the things himself —
He kept them glaring on a shelf.
And champing on the shelf beneath
Were twenty-seven sets of teeth…
The one he slipped in people’s drink
Was flecked with palest, palest pink.
He made me promise I would keep
All eight — now would you like a peep?
You would? All right, but do not feel
Them very hard, for one is real.— Alistair Sampson (1929–2006)
Got something to add? Join the discussion and comment below.
Get 10 issues for just $10
Subscribe to The Spectator Australia today for the next 10 magazine issues, plus full online access, for just $10.
Illustrated by Peter MacKarell (Hopcyn Press, £20, pp. 201, ISBN 9780957299, Spectator Bookshop, £18).
You might disagree with half of it, but you’ll enjoy reading all of it. Try your first month for free, then just $2 a week for the remainder of your first year.
Comments
Don't miss out
Join the conversation with other Spectator Australia readers. Subscribe to leave a comment.
SUBSCRIBEAlready a subscriber? Log in