Grub First, Then Ethics Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

Rhyme Scheme: ABCDEBFGHIJKLKMMNOPQ ROSTUVWXYXRRZIYERIRR A2IB2C2D2E2RRF2G2OH2 EG2EI2JJ2RK2RK2EEI2L 2M2N2O2L2P2N2Q2R2GFK 2S2ET2U2V2W2RMREV2X2 JY2EZ2E

opos is we could say to him WellA
we can read to ourselves our useB
of holy numbers would shock you and a poetC
may lament 'Where is TelfordD
whose bridged canals are still a Shropshire gloryE
where Muir who on a Douglas SpruceB
rode out a storm and called an earthquake nobleF
where Mr Vynyian BoardG
thanks to whose life long fuss the hunted whale now suffersH
a quicker death ' without beingI
called an idiot though none of them bore arms orJ
made a public splash then LookK
we would point for a dig at Athens HereL
is the place where we cookK
Though built in Lower AustriaM
do it yourself AmericaM
prophetically blueprinted thisN
palace kitchen for kingdomsO
where royalty would be incognito for an age whenP
Courtesy might think From your voiceQ
and the back of your neck I know we shall get onR
but cannot tell from your thumbsO
who is to give the orders The right note is harderS
to hear than in the Age of PoiseT
when She talked shamelessly to her maid and sangU
noble lies with Him but struckV
it can be still in New Knossos where if I amW
banned by a shrug it is my faultX
not Father's as it is my taste whomY
I put below the saltX
The prehistoric hearthstoneR
round as a birthday buttonR
and sacred to Granny is as oldZ
stuff as the bowel looseningI
nasal war cry but this all electric roomY
where ghosts would feel uneasyE
a witch at a loss is numinous and againR
the centre of a dwellingI
not as lately it was an abhorrent dungeonR
where the warm unlaundered meinyR
belched their comic prose and from a dream of whichA2
chaste Milady awoke blushingI
House proud deploring labor extolling workB2
these engines politely insistC2
that banausics can be liberalsD2
a cook a pure artistE2
who moves EverymanR
at a deeper level thanR
Mozart for the subject of the verbF2
to hunger is never a nameG2
dear Adam and Eve had different bottomsO
but the neotene who marchesH2
upright and can subtract reveals a bellyE
like a serpent's with the sameG2
vulnerable look Jew Gentile or PigmyE
he must get his caloriesI2
before he can consider her profile orJ
his own attack you or play chessJ2
and take what there is however hard to get downR
then surely those in whose creedK2
God is edible may call a fineR
omelet a Christian deedK2
The sin of GluttonyE
is ranked among the DeadlyE
Seven but in murder mysteriesI2
one can be sure the gourmetL2
didn't do it children brave warriors out of a jobM2
can weigh pounds more than they shouldN2
and one can dislike having to kiss them yetO2
compared with the thin lipped theyL2
are seldom detestable Some waiter grievesP2
for the worst dead bore to be a goodN2
trencherman and no wonder chefs mature intoQ2
choleric types doomed to observeR2
Beauty peck at a master dish their one rewardG
to behold the mutually hostileF
mouth and eyes of a sinner marriedK2
at the first bite of a smileS2
The houses of our CityE
are real enough but they lieT2
haphazardly scattered over the earthU2
and Her vagabond forumV2
is any space where two of us happen to meetW2
who can spot a citizenR
without papers So too can her foes Where theM
power lies remains to be seenR
the force though is clearly with them perhaps onlyE
by falling can She becomeV2
Her own Vision but we have sworn under four eyesX2
to keep Her up all we ask forJ
should the night come when comets blaze and meres breakY2
is a good dinner that weE
may march in high fettle left foot firstZ2
to hold her ThermopylaeE

Wystan Hugh Auden



Rate:
(1)



Poem topics: , Print This Poem , Rhyme Scheme

Submit Spanish Translation
Submit German Translation
Submit French Translation


Write your comment about Grub First, Then Ethics poem by Wystan Hugh Auden


 

Recent Interactions*

This poem was read 6 times,

This poem was added to the favorite list by 0 members,

This poem was voted by 0 members.

(* Interactions only in the last 7 days)

New Poems

Popular Poets