Poem by Robert William Service

The Test

Sometimes a bit of rhyme I see 
	In magazine or book 
That makes such fond appeal to me 
	Its flaws I overlook; 
It may be just a simple lay, 
	Yet humanly so pat, 
That when I’ve scanned it twice I say: 
	“I wish I’d written that.”

But when I read some classic ode 
	Of gods and mighty men, 
To finish it I have to goad 
	My patience now and then. 
Although to thrill to it I try, 
	Its organ note goes flat, 
And honestly I cannot sigh: 
	“I wish I’d written that.” 

Some poems lift aloft the mind, 
	Some whisper to the heart; 
Unto the last I’m more inclined, 
	Though innocent of art. 
Some verses get beneath my skin – 
	Like Casey at the Bat, 
Or Jim Bloodso or Gunga Din – 
	Why didn’t I write that? 

These bards have got the edge on me, 
	I’ve missed the lyric bus; 
My rhymes and meters, I agree, 
	Are sadly obvious. 
My balladeering lays I rue, 
	I’m just a copy-cat... 
Goldarn that devil, Dan McGrew – 
	Oh why did I write that? 

1. Highland Hospitality
2. Violet de Vere
3. L'Envoi (I guess this is the final score)
4. Afternoon Tea
5. New Year's Eve

Katharine Tynan The Test ("Love has moods: and I am cold")

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