Social Commentaries

Ignis Fatuus

by Ambrose Bierce 1842–c. 1914

From Black Beetles in Amber (1892)

Social Commentaries

Weep, weep, each loyal partisan,
For Buckley, king of hearts;
A most accomplished man; a man
Of parts--of foreign parts.

Long years he ruled with gentle sway,
Nor grew his glory dim;
And he would be with us to-day
If we were but with him.

Men wondered at his going off
In such a sudden way;
'Twas thought, as he had come to scoff
He would remain to prey.

Since he is gone we're all agreed
That he is what men call
A crook: his very steps, indeed,
Are bent--to Montreal.

So let our tears unhindered flow,
Our sighs and groans have way:
It matters not how much we Oh!--
The devil is to pay.

MLA

Bierce, Ambrose. “Ignis Fatuus.” Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/bierce/168/.

Chicago

Bierce, Ambrose. “Ignis Fatuus.” Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/bierce/168/.

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