'Unreasonable' Poem by A. P. Herbert

'Unreasonable' Poles, why do you falter?
Be sensible—be realistic, pray.
Yours are the only frontiers that must alter:
You are the one crusader in the way.

Unreasonable Poles, you will be fatter:
Things of the spirit are not your concern.
Oxford and Cambridge do not greatly matter:
And you shall have Lough Swilly in return.

Unreasonable Poles, preserve tradition.
In just two centuries, you must allow,
You've thrice enjoyed benevolent partition.
For Heaven's sake, why start to argue now?
December 17, 1944