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Classic and Contemporary Poetry
REUBEN ROY, by HAROLD CRAWFORD STEARNS First Line: A little fellow, brown with wind Last Line: A carpenter. | |||
A little fellow, brown with wind -- I saw him in the street Peering at numbers on the posts, But most discreet: For when a woman came outdoors, Or slyly peeped instead, He turned away, took off his hat, And scratched his head. I watched him from my garden-wall Perhaps an hour or more, For something in his attitude, The clothes he wore, Awoke the dimmest memories Of when I was a boy And knew the story of a man Named Reuben Roy. It seems that Reuben went to sea The night his wife decried The fence he built before their house And up the side. He wanted it but she did not, Because it hid from view The spot in which her mignonette And tulips grew. Nobody saw his face again, But each year, unawares, He sent a sum for taxes due -- And fence repairs. My curiosity aroused, I sauntered forth to see Whether this individual Were really he. "Who are you looking for?" I asked. His eyes, like two bright pence, Sparkled at mine; and then he said: "A fence." "Somebody burned it Hallowe'en, When people were in bed; Before the judge could prosecute, The culprit fled." Well, Reuben only touched his hat And mumbled, "Thank you, sir," And asked me whereabouts to find A carpenter. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...MY CHILDREN by HAROLD CRAWFORD STEARNS LINES BY CLAUDIA by EMILY JANE BRONTE PAST AND PRESENT by ROWLAND EYLES EGERTON-WARBURTON THE FAIRY THORN; AN ULSTER BALLAD by SAMUEL FERGUSON A SHROPSHIRE LAD: 2 by ALFRED EDWARD HOUSMAN LYRICS TO IANTHE (2). LAMENT by WALTER SAVAGE LANDOR CAELI by FRANCIS WILLIAM BOURDILLON THE DIREFUL TALE OF HORROR by BERTON BRALEY MAXIMS FOR THE OLD HOUSE: THE CHAMBER by ANNA HEMPSTEAD BRANCH |
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