A Sense of Humor
NO man should stand before the moon
To make sweet song thereon,
With dandified importance,
His sense of humor gone.
Nay, let us don the motley cap,
The jester’s chastened mien,
If we would woo that looking-glass
And see what should be seen.
O mirror on fair Heaven’s wall,
We find there what we bring.
So, let us smile in honest part
And deck our souls and sing.
Yea, by the chastened jest alone
Will ghosts and terrors pass,
And fays, or suchlike friendly things,
Throw kisses through the glass.





Related poetry:
- Modern Love XLVIII: Their Sense Their sense is with their senses all mixed in, Destroyed by subleties these women are! More brain, O Lord, more […]...
- Moments Of Vision That mirror Which makes of men a transparency, Who holds that mirror And bids us such a breast-bare spectacle see […]...
- Hope Holds to Christ . . . . . . . . Hope holds to Christ the mind’s own mirror out To take His […]...
- Lionel Johnson (For the Rev. John J. Burke, C. S. P.) There was a murkier tinge in London’s air As if the […]...
- The Argument Of His Book I sing of brooks, of blossoms, birds, and bowers, Of April, May, of June, and July-flowers. I sing of May-poles, […]...
- It Was an English Ladye Bright It was an English ladye bright, (The sun shines fair on Carlisle wall,) And she would marry a Scottish knight, […]...
- Prayer You talk o’ prayer an’ such – Well, I jest don’t know how; I guess I got as much Religion […]...
- With The Face With the face goes a mirror As with the mind a world. Likeness tells the doubting eye That strangeness is […]...
- Sing Sing Music Was Given Sing sing Music was given To brighten the gay, and kindle the loving; Souls here, like planets in heaven, By […]...
- The Lacking Sense Scene. A sad-coloured landscape, Waddon Vale I “O Time, whence comes the Mother’s moody look amid her labours, As of one who all unwittingly has wounded […]...
- Insomnia The moon in the bureau mirror Looks out a million miles (and perhaps with pride, at herself, But she never, […]...
- Colored Toys When I bring to you colored toys, my child, I understand why there is such a play of colors on […]...
- When and Why When I bring you coloured toys, my child, I understand why there Is such a play of colours on clouds, […]...
- The God Of Common-Sense My Daddy used to wallop me for every small offense: “Its takes a hair-brush back,” said he, “to teach kids […]...
- Sound And Sense True ease in writing comes from art, not chance, As those move easiest who have learned to dance. ‘Tis not […]...
- Sense Of Something Coming I am like a flag in the center of open space. I sense ahead the wind which is coming, and […]...
- Much Madness is divinest Sense Much MADNESS is divinest sense (Author) To a discerning eye Much sense the starkest madness. ‘T’ is the MAJORITY In […]...
- The Sense Of The Sleight-Of-Hand Man One’s grand flights, one’s Sunday baths, One’s tootings at the weddings of the soul Occur as they occur. So bluish […]...
- Uncommon common sense The other day I listened to a man on the radio Who made uncommon common sense, ‘specially since It was […]...
- Lady At A Mirror As in sleeping-drink spices Softly she loosens in the liquid-clear Mirror her fatigued demeanor; And she puts her smile deep […]...
- Portrait Of An Old Woman On The College Tavern Wall Oh down at the tavern The children are singing Around their round table And around me still. Did you hear […]...
- Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs No matter what life you lead The virgin is a lovely number: Cheeks as fragile as cigarette paper, Arms and […]...
- Poem 3 BRing with you all the Nymphes that you can heare Both of the riuers and the forrests greene: And of […]...
- The Wicked Postman Why do you sit there on the floor so quiet and silent, tell me, Mother dear? The rain is coming […]...
- Historion No man hath dared to write this thing as yet, And yet I know, how that the souls of all […]...
- Kathleen It was the steamer Alice May that sailed the Yukon foam. And touched in every river camp from Dawson down […]...
- Song My silks and fine array, My smiles and languish’d air, By love are driv’n away; And mournful lean Despair Brings […]...
- Hymn 66 Christ the King at his table. SS 1:2-5,12,13,17. Let him embrace my soul, and prove Mine interest in his heav’nly […]...
- To the Thawing Wind COME with rain. O loud Southwester! Bring the singer, bring the nester; Give the buried flower a dream; Make the […]...
- There Are Not Many Kingdoms Left I write the lips of the moon upon her shoulders. In a Temple of silvery farawayness I guard her to […]...
- Fame's Penny-Trumpet Blow, blow your trumpets till they crack, Ye little men of little souls! And bid them huddle at your back […]...
- The Visitation (For Louise Imogen Guiney) There is a wall of flesh before the eyes Of John, who yet perceives and hails […]...
- We Wear the Mask We wear the mask that grins and lies, It hides our cheeks and shades our eyes, This debt we pay […]...
- Love After Love The time will come When, with elation You will greet yourself arriving At your own door, in your own mirror […]...
- Lament for Zenocrate Black is the beauty of the brightest day, The golden belle of heaven’s eternal fire, That danced with glory on […]...
- Sonnet III I have a hoard of treasure in my breast; The grange of memory steams against the door, Full of my […]...
- Tцrnfallet There is a meadow in Sweden Where I lie smitten, Eyes stained with clouds’ White ins and outs. And about […]...
- Ernest Hyde My mind was a mirror: It saw what it saw, it knew what it knew. In youth my mind was […]...
- Silvia WHO is Silvia? What is she? That all our swains commend her? Holy, fair, and wise is she; The heaven […]...
- I Only Am Escaped Alone to Tell Thee I tell you that I see her still At the dark entrance of the hall. One gas lamp burning near […]...