Forgotten verse: Fame is a food that dead men eat
Henry Austin Dobson was an essayist and poet who spent most of his life working for the Board of Trade, which left him enough spare time to write some of the most delightful poetry of his time. This verse, requested by Deborah Woods in an email, is a nice example of his skill at tackling deep subjects in a light and quirky style.
Henry Austin Dobson was a poet and essayist
Fame Is A Food That Dead Men Eat
by Henry Austin Dobson
(1840-1921)
Fame is a food that dead men eat, –
I have no stomach for such meat.
In little light and narrow room,
They eat it in the silent tomb,
With no kind voice of comrade near
To bid the banquet be of cheer.
But Friendship is a nobler thing –
Of Friendship it is good to sing.
For truly, when a man shall end,
He lives in memory of his friend,
Who doth his better part recall,
And of his faults make funeral
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