In Residence

BALLADE OF SERIOUS BALLADES LIGHT verses are these you’ve been reading— Slim-waisted and elegant-necked, As a maiden on water-cress feeding If a simile splendidly decked Appeals to your excellent sect) But humour must pall—it’s too true. I think you ought not to object To a serious ballade or two. All folk at odd times may be needing A voice to advise or protect; The heart of a maid may be bleeding; The sky of your life may be flecked With clouds, and you cannot expect The flowers to grow without dew— Please listen with proper respect To a serious ballade or two! The sprinkling of thought I am seeding May gather, take root, and reject The things that would hinder its breeding (Comme il faut, that’s to say, and correct) 37