History & Politics
Ballade of Queen Anne
From XXXII Ballades in Blue China (1885)
The modish Airs,
The Tansey Brew,
The Swains and Fairs
In curtained Pew;
Nymphs KNELLER drew,
Books BENTLEY read,—
Who knows them, who?
QUEEN ANNE is dead!
We buy her Chairs,
Her China blue,
Her red-brick Squares
We build anew;
But ah! we rue,
When all is said,
The tale o’er-true,
QUEEN ANNE is dead!
Now Bulls and Bears,
A ruffling Crew,
With Stocks and Shares,
With Turk and Jew,
Go bubbling through
The Town ill-bred:
The World’s askew,
QUEEN ANNE is dead!
ENVOY.
Friend, praise the new;
The old is fled:
Vivat FROU-FROU!
QUEEN ANNE is dead!
Cite this poem
MLA
Lang, Andrew. “Ballade of Queen Anne.” Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/lang/227/.
Chicago
Lang, Andrew. “Ballade of Queen Anne.” Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/lang/227/.
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