Rich & Poor; or Saint & Sinner

Thomas Love Peacock 1785 (Weymouth, Dorset) – 1866



The poor man's sins are glaring;
In the face of ghostly warning
He is caught in the fact
Of an overt act---
Buying greens on a Sunday morning.

The rich man's sins are hidden
In the pomp of wealth and station;
And escape the sight
Of the children of light,
Who are wise in their generation.

The rich man has a kitchen,
And cooks to dress his dinner;
The poor who would roast
To the baker's must post,
And thus becomes a sinner.

The rich man has a cellar,
And a ready butler by him;
The poor man must steer
For his pint of beer
Where the saint can't choose but to spy him.

The rich man's painted windows
Hide the concerts of the quality;
The poor can but share
A crack'd fiddle in the air,
Which offends all sound morality.

The rich man is invisible
In the crowd of his gay society;
But the poor man's delight
Is a sore in the sight,
And a stench in the nose of piety.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

54 sec read
150

Quick analysis:

Scheme AABBA CCDDC CEFFE EGHHG XIJJI XIDDI
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 845
Words 174
Stanzas 6
Stanza Lengths 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5

Thomas Love Peacock

Thomas Love Peacock was an English novelist, poet, and official of the East India Company. more…

All Thomas Love Peacock poems | Thomas Love Peacock Books

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