Old Poem Saturday – Quatrain by Service

Service_prefaceThis quatrain is the preface to Robert W. Service’s book of World War I poetry Rhymes of a Red Cross Man – already 41 years old when WWI started, Service was turned down for military service and so volunteered with the Red Cross. He has a biography as full as anyone could wish for – traveling widely and achieving literary acclaim during his life. Born in England, he was known as the “Poet of the Yukon” for his time spent and poems written in Western Canada. Collage and composition by me. Have a lovely weekend!

The text of the quatrain:

I have no doubt at all the Devil grins,

As seas of ink I spatter.

Ye gods, forgive my “literary” sins –

      The other kind don’t matter.

17 comments

    1. Thank you! I simply loved the old font that the preface used (the publisher wisely did not print the entire book in it) – and so I took a picture to remind me, and then realized the picture itself was what the collage needed.

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    1. Thank you! The father of a good friend of mine found copies of several of his books while cleaning out a relative’s house. They eventually found their way to me and I just loved the preface – the poems in the book were good as well. When I went home and looked him up, I was blown away by his biography – so interesting!

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      2. It is my pleasure! Please let me know what you think of his books – I’m hoping my friend will let me borrow his books again. They have three of them, but I really only had the chance to read some of “Rhymes of a Red Cross Man.”

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