Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, THE OLD MOTHER, by ANONYMOUS


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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

THE OLD MOTHER, by                    
First Line: "poor old lady, set her aside"
Last Line: "she must not meet with your guests tonight, / for her children are grown and her work is done"
Subject(s): Mothers


Poor old lady, set her aside --
Her children are grown, and her work is done;
True, in their service, her locks turned gray,
But shove her away, unsought, alone.

Give her a home, for decency's sake,
In some back room, far out of the way,
Where her tremulous voice cannot be heard --
It might check your mirth when you would be gay.

Strive to forget how she toiled for you
And cradled you oft on her loving breast --
Told you stories and joined your play,
Many an hour when she needed rest.

No matter for that -- huddle her off;
Your friends might wince at her witty jest;
She is too old-fashioned, and speaks so plain --
Get her out of the way of the coming guest.

Once you valued her cheerful voice,
Her hearty laugh and her merry song;
But to ears polite they are quite too loud --
Her jokes too sharp, her tales too long.

So, poor old lady, hustle her off --
In her cheerless room let her sit alone;
She must not meet with your guests tonight,
For her children are grown and her work is done.





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