I Wish I Loved the Human Race

7/27/2019 I Wish I Loved the Human Race

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I Wish I Loved the Human Race

Sir Walter A Raleigh (1861-1922)

I wish I loved the Human Race;

I wish I loved its silly face;

I wish I liked the way it walks;

I wish I liked the way it talks;

And when I'm introduced to one,

I wish I thought "What Jolly Fun!"

Monday's Child

Monday's child is fair of face,

Tuesday's child is full of grace,

Wednesday's child is full of woe,

Thursday's child has far to go,

Friday's child is loving and giving,

Saturday's child works hard for its living,

And a child that's born on the Sabbath day

Is fair and wise and good and gay.

The Walrus and the Carpenter

Lewis Carroll

The sun was shining on the sea,

Shining with all his might:

He did his very best to make

The billows smooth and bright -

And this was odd, because it was

The middle of the night.

The moon was shining sulkily,

Because she thought the sun

Had got no business to be there

After the day was done -

"It's very rude of him," she said,

"To come and spoil the fun."

The sea was wet as wet could be,

The sands were dry as dry.

You could not see a cloud, because


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No cloud was in the sky:

No birds were flying overhead -

There were no birds to fly.


Were walking close at hand;

They wept like anything to see

Such quantities of sand:

"If this were only cleared away,"They said, "it would be grand."

"If seven maids with seven mops

Swept it for half a year,

Do you suppose", the Walrus said,

"That they could get it clear?"

"I doubt it," said the Carpenter,

And shed a bitter tear.

"O Oysters, come and walk with us!"

The Walrus did beseech.

"A pleasant walk, a pleasant talk,

Along the briny beach:

We cannot do with more than four,

To give a hand to each."

The eldest Oyster looked at him,

But never a word he said:

The eldest Oyster winked his eye,

And shook his heavy head -

Meaning to say he did not choose

To leave the oyster-bed.

But four young Oysters hurried up,

All eager for the treat:

Their coats were brushed, their faces washed,

Their shoes were clean and neat -

And this was odd, because, you know,

They hadn't any feet.

Four other Oysters followed them,

And yet another four;

And thick and fast they came at last,

And more, and more, and more -All hopping through the frothy waves,

And scrambling to the shore.


Walked on a mile or so,

And then they rested on a rock

Conveniently low:

And all the little Oysters stood

And waited in a row.


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"The time has come", the Walrus said,

"To talk of many things:

Of shoes -and ships -and sealing wax -

Of cabbages -and kings -

And why the sea is boiling hot -

And whether pigs have wings."

"But wait a bit," the Oysters cried,

"Before we have our chat;For some of us are out of breath,

And all of us are fat!"

"No hurry!" said the Carpenter.

They thanked him much for that.

"A loaf of bread", the Walrus said,

"Is what we chiefly need:

Pepper and vinegar, besides,

Are very good indeed -

Now, if you're ready, Oysters dear,

We can begin to feed."

"But not on us!" the Oysters cried,

Turning a little blue.

"After such kindness, that would be

A dismal thing to do!"

"The night is fine," the Walrus said,

"Do you admire the view?

"It was so kind of you to come!

And you are very nice!"

The Carpenter said nothing but

"Cut us another slice.I wish you were not quite so deaf -

I've had to ask you twice!"

"It seems a shame", the Walrus said,

"To play them such a trick.

After we've brought them out so far,

And made them trot so quick!"

The Carpenter said nothing but

"The butter's spread too thick!"

"I weep for you," the Walrus said:"I deeply sympathize."

With sobs and tears he sorted out

Those of the largest size,

Holding his pocket-handkerchief

Before his streaming eyes.

"O Oysters," said the Carpenter,

"You've had a pleasant run!

Shall we be trotting home again?"

But answer came there none -


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And this was scarcely odd, because

They'd eaten every one.

The Grasshopper

Aesop

A grasshopper spent the summer hopping about in the sun and singing to his heart's content. One day, an ant went

hurrying by, looking very hot and weary.

"Why are you working on such a lovely day?" said the grasshopper.

"I'm collecting food for the winter," said the ant, "and I suggest you do the same." And off she went, helping the other

ants to carry food to their store. The grasshopper carried on hopping and singing. When winter came the ground was

covered with snow. The grasshopper had no food and was hungry. So he went to the ants and asked for food.

"What did you do all summer when we were working to collect our food?" said one of the ants.

"I was busy hopping and singing," said the grasshopper.

"Well," said the ant, "if you hop and sing all summer, and do no work, then you must starve in the winter."

The Hare and the Hound

Aesop

A Hound chased a Hare from his lair, but after a long run, the Hound stopped chasing. A goat-herd who was watching

laughed at the Hound and said:

"The little Hare is the better runner of you two!"

The Hound replied:

"But you do not see the difference between us: I was only running for a dinner; he was running for his life."

Elementary


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Intermediate

American Declaration of Independence

(first published 4 July 1776)

hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created

equal, that they are endowed by theirCreator with certain unalienable Rights, thatamong these are Life, Liberty and the

pursuit of Happiness.

hold (verb): to believe; to considertruth (noun): something that is trueself-evident (adjective): evident, clear, obvious without need of proofcreated (pp ofto create): made; fabricated; constructedendowed (pp ofto endow): given; providedcreator (noun): maker; a person who makes or creates Creator (noun): Godunalienable (adjective): untransferrable; cannot be given to another personright (noun): a power or privilege that a person has by law or traditionliberty (noun): freedom

pursuit (noun): act of pursuing frompursue (verb): to follow; to chase

Away in a Manger

(Christmas Carol)

Away in a manger, no crib for a bed,The little Lord Jesus laid down his sweet head.The stars in the bright sky looked down where he lay,The little Lord Jesus asleep in the hay.

The cattle are lowing, the baby awakes,But little Lord Jesus no crying he makes.I love Thee, Lord Jesus, look down from the skyAnd stay by my cradle 'til morning is nigh.

Be near me, Lord Jesus, I ask Thee to stayClose by me forever, and love me, I pray.Bless all the dear children in thy tender care,


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And take us to heaven, to live with Thee there.

manger (noun): a box for food for horses or cowscrib (noun): cot; small bed for a babyhay (noun): dry grass for animals to eatcattle (noun): cowslow (verb): to moo; to make the noise of a cowawake (awoke, awoken) (verb): to wake up; to waken; to wake up; to stop sleepingcradle (noun): cot; small bed for a baby'til (preposition): until; till; up to that timenigh (adjective): near; close; imminent; not farthee (pronoun): you (old English)

For now we see through a glass, darkly

First Epistle of Paul to the Corinthians (Bible, 1 Corinthians 13, verse 11)

When I was a child, I spake as a child,I understood as a child, I thought as achild:but when I became a man, I put awaychildish things. For now we see through aglass, darkly; but then face to face: now

I know in part; but then shall I know evenas also I am known.spake (verb): spoke (old English - verb 'to speak')

Futility

Wilfred Owen

Move him into the sun -Gently its touch awoke him once,At home, whispering of fields unsown.Always it woke him, even in France,Until this morning and this snow.If anything might rouse him now
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The kind old sun will know.

Think how it wakes the seeds, -Woke, once, the clays of a cold star.Are limbs, so dear-achieved, are sides,

Full-nerved,- still warm,- too hard to stir?Was it for this the clay grew tall?- O what made fatuous sunbeams toilTo break earth's sleep at all?

awake (awoke, awoken) (verb): to wake up; to waken; to wake up; to stop sleepingunsown (adjective): without seed; not planted (NB: "fields unsown" = "unsown fields")rouse (verb): to wake up; to stimulate; to animateclay (noun): type of earth; earth; soillimb (noun): member of the body (leg, arm)dear-achieved (adjective): costly to createstir (verb): to move; to wakenfatuous (adjective): purposelesstoil (verb): to work hard; to labour

Commentary

If

Rudyard Kipling

IF you can keep your head when all about youAre losing theirs and blaming it on you,If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,But make allowance for their doubting too;If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,Or being hated, don't give way to hating,And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:

IF you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
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If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;If you can meet with Triumph and DisasterAnd treat those two impostors just the same;If you can bear to hear the truth you've spokenTwisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,

Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:

IF you can make one heap of all your winningsAnd risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,And lose, and start again at your beginningsAnd never breathe a word about your loss;

If you can force your heart and nerve and sinewTo serve your turn long after they are gone,And so hold on when there is nothing in youExcept the Will which says to them: `Hold on!'

IF you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,Or walk with Kings - nor lose the common touch,

If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,If all men count with you, but none too much;If you can fill the unforgiving minuteWith sixty seconds' worth of distance run,Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!

keep your head (verb): to stay calm; to remain cool

make allowance for (verb): to take into accountimpostor (noun): person who pretends to be someone else; charlatan; fraud; phonyknave (noun): con man; cheat; tricksterstoop (verb): to bend down; to bow; to incline; to crouchbuild 'em up (informal contraction): build them upworn-out (adjective): used; completely exhausted; uselesspitch-and-toss (noun): game in which players throw coinssinew (noun): tough, fibrous tissue joining muscle to bonehold on (verb): to continue; to persistfoe (noun): enemycount with you (verb): to matter to you; to be important to you


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I shall not pass this way again

Grellet

I expect to pass through this world butonce;

any good thing therefore that I can do, orany

kindness that I can show to any fellow-creature,

let me do it now; let me not defer orneglect it,

for I shall not pass this way again.fellow (noun): brother; equal; colleaguecreature (noun): animal; living thingdefer(verb): to delay; to suspendneglect (verb): to ignore; to forget; to overlook; to take no notice of


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Advanced

Desiderata

GO placidly amid the noise and haste, andremember what peace there may be in

silence. As far as possible without surrenderbe on good terms with all persons. Speakyour truth quietly and clearly; and listen toothers, even the dull and ignorant; they toohave their story. Avoid loud and aggressive

persons, they are vexatious to the spirit. Ifyou compare yourself with other, you maybecome vain and bitter; for always therewill be greater and lesser persons thanyourself. Enjoy your achievements as well

as your plans. Keep interested in your owncareer, however humble; it is a realpossession in the changing fortunes of time.Exercise caution in your business affairs;for the world is full of trickery. But let this

not blind you to what virtue there is; manypersons strive for high ideals; andeverywhere life is full of heroism. Beyourself. Especially, do not feign affection.Neither be cynical about love; for in the


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face of all aridity and disenchantment it isperennial as the grass. Take kindly thecounsel of the years, gracefully

surrendering the things of youth. Nurturestrength of spirit to shield you in suddenmisfortune. But do not distress yourselfwith imaginings. Many fears are born offatigue and loneliness. Beyond a wholesomediscipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a

child of the universe, no less than the treesand the stars; you have a right to be here.And whether or not it is clear to you, nodoubt the universe is unfolding as it should.Therefore be at peace with God, whatever

you conceive Him to be, and whatever yourlabors and aspirations, in the noisyconfusion of life keep peace with your soul.With all its sham, drudgery and brokendreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be

careful. Strive to be happy.

Consider the lilies of the field

Bible (New Testament: Matthew chapter 26 verse 28 >)

And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of


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the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do theyspin:

And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glorywas not arrayed like one of these.

Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, whichtoday is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall he notmuch more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore, takeno thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall wedrink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?

For your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of allthese things . . .

Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrowshall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient untothe day is the evil thereof.

The Sick Rose

William Blake

O Rose, thou art sick!

The invisible worm,
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That flies in the night,

In the howling storm,

Has found out thy bed

Of crimson joy;

And his dark secret love

Does thy life destroy.Song of Solomon

Song of Solomon Chapter IV, Bible (Old Testament)

Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair; thou hast

doves' eyes within thy locks: thy hair is as a flock of goats, thatappear from mount Gilead.

Thy teeth are like a flock of sheep that are even shorn, whichcame up from the washing; whereof every one bear twins, andnone is barren among them.


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Thy lips are like a thread of scarlet, and thy speech is comely:thy temples are like a piece of a pome-granate within thy locks.

Thy neck is like the tower of David builded for an armoury,whereon there hang a thousand bucklers, all shields of mighty

men.

Thy two breasts are like two young roes that are twins, whichfeed among the lilies.

Until the day break, and the shadows flee away, I will get me tothe mountain of myrrh, and to the hill of frankincense.

Thou art all fair, my love; there is no spot in thee.

The Tiger

William Blake

Tiger! Tiger! burning bright

In the forests of the night,What immortal hand or eyeCould frame thy fearful symmetry?

In what distant deeps or skiesBurnt the fire of thine eyes?

On what wings dare he aspire?What the hand dare seize the fire?

And what shoulder, and what art,Could twist the sinews of thy heart?
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And when thy heart began to beat,What dread hand? and what dread feet?

What the hammer? what the chain?

In what furnace was thy brain?What the anvil? what dread graspDare its deadly terrors clasp?

When the stars threw down their spears,And watered heaven with their tears,

Did he smile his work to see?Did he who made the Lamb make thee?

Tiger! Tiger! burning brightIn the forests of the night,What immortal hand or eyeDare frame thy fearful symmetry?

frame (verb): to make; to createthy (adjective): your (old English)symmetry (noun): balance; harmonydeeps (noun): seasthine (pronoun): your (old English)aspire (verb): have ambition or strong desire

dread (adjective): awe-inspiring; reveredanvil (noun): flat block for working metalLamb (noun): young sheep (but why a capital "L"?)


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Shakespeare

Sonnet 27

William Shakespeare

Weary with toil I haste me to my bed,The dear repose for limbs with travel tired;But then begins a journey in my headTo work my mind when body's work'sexpired;For then my thoughts, from far where Iabide,Intend a zealous pilgrimage to thee,And keep my drooping eyelids open wide,Looking on darkness which the blind dosee;

Save that my soul's imaginary sightPresents thy shadow to my sightless view,Which like a jewel hung in ghastly nightMakes black night beauteous and her oldface new.

Lo, thus by day my limbs, by night mymind,For thee and for myself no quiet find.
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I had rather be a toad

William Shakespeare

O curse of marriage!

That we can call these delicate creaturesours,

And not their appetites! I had rather be a

toad

And live upon the vapour of a dungeon

Than keep a corner in the thing I love

For others' uses.Spoken by Othello in the play Othello

What a piece of work is a man!

William Shakespeare

What a piece of work is a man!

How noble in reason!How infinite in faculty!in form, in moving, how express andadmirable!in action how like an angel!
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in apprehension how like a god!the beauty of the world!the paragon of animals!

And yet to me, what is this quintessence ofdust?man delights not me; no, nor womanneither,though, by your smiling, you seem to sayso.

Sonnet 2

William Shakespeare

When forty winters shall besiege thy brow,And dig deep trenches in thy beauty's field,

Thy youth's proud livery, so gazed on now,Will be a tattered weed of small worth held.Then being asked where all thy beauty lies,Where all the treasure of thy lusty days,To say within thine own deep-sunken eyes

Were an all-eating shame and thriftlesspraise.How much more praise deserved thybeauty's useIf thou couldst answer 'This fair child of


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mineShall sum my count, and make my oldexcuse',

Proving his beauty by succession thine.This were to be new made when thou artold,And see thy blood warm when thou feel'st itcold.

Sonnet 18

William Shakespeare

SHALL I compare thee to a summer's day?

Thou art more lovely and more temperate.

Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,

And summer's lease hath all too short a date:

Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,

And often is his gold complexion dimm'd;

And every fair from fair sometimes declines,

By chance, or nature's changing course, untrimm'd;

But thy eternal summer shall not fade


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Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow'st;

Nor shall Death brag thou wand'rest in his shade,

When in eternal lines to time thou grow'st.

So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,

So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.

thee (pronoun): you (old English)thou (pronoun): you (old English)art (verb): are (old English - verb 'to be')temperate (adjective): mild; pleasant; warmdo shake: note use of auxiliary 'do' in present simple positive. This is unusual but perfectly normal forstress, politeness or poetic effect.bud (noun): first growth on a plant or flowerlease (noun): period, time, durationhath (verb): has (old English - verb 'to have')eye of heaven: Shakespeare is referring to the suncomplexion (noun): colour; appearancefair (adjective): attractive; beautiful; handsome; lovelydecline (verb): to become less; to decrease

thy (adjective): your (old English)eternal (adjective): endless; everlasting; infinite; permanentfade (verb): to decrease; to decline; to dissolvebrag (verb): to boast; to tell everybody triumphantlywand'rest (verb): old English - verb 'to wander': to walk without direction; to roamshade (noun): shadow; darkness; gloom; obscuritygrowst (verb): old English - verb 'to grow'so long: as long

I Wish I Loved the Human Race

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