Arts & Sciences
I asked my Dear Friend Orator Prig
From The Rossetti Manuscript (c. 1793–1818)
I asked my Dear Friend Orator Prig:
'What's the first part of Oratory?' He said: 'A great wig.'
'And what is the second?' Then, dancing a jig
And bowing profoundly, he said: 'A great wig.'
'And what is the third?' Then he snored like a pig,
And, puffing his cheeks out, replied; 'A great wig.'
So if a Great Painter with Questions you push
'What's the first part of painting?' he'll say: 'A Paint-brush.'
'And what is the second?' with most modest blush,
He'll smile like a cherub, and say: 'A paint-brush.'
'And what is the third?' he'll bow like a rush,
With a leer in his Eye, he'll reply: 'A Paint-brush.'
Perhaps this is all a Painter can want:
But, look yonder — that house is the house of Rembrandt! &c.
Cite this poem
MLA
Blake, William. “I asked my Dear Friend Orator Prig.” Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/blake/221/.
Chicago
Blake, William. “I asked my Dear Friend Orator Prig.” Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/blake/221/.
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