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John Keats (31 October 1795 – 23 February 1821 / London, England)
A Party Of Lovers
Pensive they sit, and roll their languid eyes,
Nibble their toast, and cool their tea with sighs,
Or else forget the purpose of the night,
Forget their tea -- forget their appetite.
See with cross'd arms they sit -- ah! happy crew,
The fire is going out and no one rings
For coals, and therefore no coals Betty brings.
A fly is in the milk-pot -- must he die
By a humane society?
No, no; there Mr. Werter takes his spoon,
Inserts it, dips the handle, and lo! soon
The little straggler, sav'd from perils dark,
Across the teaboard draws a long wet mark.
Arise! take snuffers by the handle,
There's a large cauliflower in each candle.
A winding-sheet, ah me! I must away
To No. 7, just beyond the circus gay.
'Alas, my friend! your coat sits very well;
Where may your tailor live?' 'I may not tell.
O pardon me -- I'm absent now and then.
Where might my tailor live? I say again
I cannot tell, let me no more be teaz'd --
He lives in Wapping, might live where he pleas'd.'
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Arise! take snuffers by the handle,
There's a large cauliflower in each candle.
A winding-sheet, ah me! I must away
the definition of snuffer is A small hollow metal cone on the end of a handle, used to extinguish a candle by smothering the flame. when a flame is extinguished by smothering, the smoke clumps together and when released, it starts out puffy and cloudy and disepates into a long smooth trail of light smoke. the words cauliflower + winding-sheet are metaphors for the smoke. It is late; why else would the maid not bring more coal to keep the fire lit? But the group of rich folk have not been gathered long since their tea is still hot.
I don't know why he must away to No.7but he is not very good friends with these people because his excuse for leaving is very abrupt and he does not want to disclose the information about his taylor... maybe because he does not want to see them again? I'm not sure. But i gave this poem a rating of 8 because of his clever rhyme scheme and because in this poem, he's telling a story :)
i guess he just want to show the languidness and boringness of the upper class in english society.
anyway, i dont like this poem.
i didn't quite undestand it..he just described 3-4 incidents...wha does he mean when he says'There's a large cauliflower in each candle.
A winding-sheet, ah me! I must away
To No.7, just beyond the circus gay.'could someone please clear this to me.