WHAT will we do when the good days come -- When the prima donna's lips are dumb, And the man who reads us his "little things" Has lost his voice like the girl who sings; When stilled is the breath of the cornet-man, And the shrilling chords of the quartette clan; When our neighbours' children have lost their drums -- Oh, what will we do when the good time comes? Oh, what will we do in that good, blithe time, When the tramp will work -- oh, thing sublime! And the scornful dame who stands on your feet Will "Thank you, sir," for the proffered seat; And the man you hire to work by the day, Will allow you to do his work your way; And the cook who trieth your appetite Will steal no more than she thinks is right; When the boy you hire will call you "Sir," Instead of "Say" and "Guverner"; When the funny man is humorsome -- How can we stand the millennium? | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...TO A MOSQUITO by WILLIAM CULLEN BRYANT ON THE DEATH OF A CAT by CHRISTINA GEORGINA ROSSETTI THE PRINCESS: SONG by ALFRED TENNYSON THE KNIGHT OF THE BURNING PESTLE by FRANCIS BEAUMONT THE LAST MAN: RECEPTION OF EVIL TIDINGS by THOMAS LOVELL BEDDOES DEPARTURE by EDMUND CHARLES BLUNDEN IN VINCULIS; SONNETS WRITTEN IN AN IRISH PRISON: A CONVENT WITHOUT GOD by WILFRID SCAWEN BLUNT |