A quick & funny poem from a delightful writer, Lucy Maud Montgomery. This is the 100th year since Anne of Green Gables was published and shook up the Canadian literary scene. Here's a lighter bit of doggerel from the same author. Hope it makes you laugh!
Which Has More Patience -- Man or Woman?
As my letter must be brief,I'll at once state my belief,
And this it is -- that, since the world began,
And Adam first did say,
"'Twas Eve led me astray,"
A woman hath more patience than a man.
If a man's obliged to wait
For some one who's rather late,
No mortal ever got in such a stew,
And if something can't be found
That he's sure should be around,
The listening air sometimes grows fairly blue.
For some one who's rather late,
No mortal ever got in such a stew,
And if something can't be found
That he's sure should be around,
The listening air sometimes grows fairly blue.
Just watch a man who tries
To soothe a baby's cries;
Or put a stove pipe up in weather cold,
Into what a state he'll get;
How he'll fuss and fume and fret
And stamp and bluster round and storm and scold!
To soothe a baby's cries;
Or put a stove pipe up in weather cold,
Into what a state he'll get;
How he'll fuss and fume and fret
And stamp and bluster round and storm and scold!
Some point to Job with pride,
As an argument for their side!
Why, it was so rare a patient man to see,
That when one was really found,
His discoverers were bound
To preserve for him a place in history!
As an argument for their side!
Why, it was so rare a patient man to see,
That when one was really found,
His discoverers were bound
To preserve for him a place in history!
And while I admit it's true
That man has some patience too,
And that woman isn't always sweetly calm,
Still I think all must agree
On this central fact -- that she
For central all-round patience bears the palm.
That man has some patience too,
And that woman isn't always sweetly calm,
Still I think all must agree
On this central fact -- that she
For central all-round patience bears the palm.
Original text: The Poetry of Lucy Maud Montgomery, ed. John Ferns and Kevin McCabe (Markham: Fitzhenry and Whiteside, 1987): 120-21.
That was absolutely wonderful! How did you happen across that? (Yes I read the footnote, but there's got to be more to it!)
ReplyDeleteI was going through the footnoted book again, and felt that this one showed her sharp and funny side; most of her poetry was standard Victorian-influenced nature poetry, fairly saccharine. But reading her journals and some of her funnier stories shows that she could be pretty cheeky, and I love that about her. I suppose I should admit that I absolutely love LMM!
ReplyDeleteI love LMM! And this poem is hilarious. I've just re-watched all three movies with Megan Follows and now I think I'll have to re-read the book too.
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