You and I



They say the eagle is a bird
  That sees some splendid sights
When he soars high into the sky
  Upon his dizzy flights:
He sees the ground for miles around
  Our house, and Billy Johnson's;
But we can not be Eagles, for
  That would, of course, be nonsense.

But you and I, some summer day,
  Providing we're allowed,
Will go up in an aeroplane
  And sail right through a cloud.
But, if they say we may not go,
  We'll stay upon the ground
With other things that have no wings,
  And watch them walk around.

They say the bottom of the sea
  Is beautiful to view;
They say the fish, whene'er they wish,
  Can sail and see 'it, too,.
The shining pearls, the coral curls,
  The sharks, the squids, the schnappers,
And fish with fins (though not in tins)
  And fish with funny flappers.

But you and I, some sunny day,
  When weather's in condition,
Will go there in a submarine,
  Providing we've permission.
But if they say we may not go
  We must respect their wishes;
And you and I will just keep dry
  Because we are not fishes.

They say to fly so very high
  Is not exactly pleasant.
They say to go deep down below
  Is not quite safe at present.
But you and I don't care for that,
  And, if there's time for spending,
When work is done, we'll have our fun
  By simply just pretending.

The earth is quite a jolly place,
  And we don't care for flying;
And things that creep down in the deep
  Are sometimes rather trying.
So, if they'll grant a holiday
  Or even only half,
We'll lie upon some grassy place,
  And think of things, and laugh.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

1:30 min read
137

Quick analysis:

Scheme xabacxxx defeGcxc xhxhxaxx dfffGxbx bigixjfj kjxjdlkl
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 1,502
Words 289
Stanzas 6
Stanza Lengths 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8

Clarence Michael James Stanislaus Dennis

Clarence Michael James Stanislaus Dennis, better known as C. J. Dennis, was an Australian poet known for his humorous poems, especially "The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke", published in the early 20th century. Though Dennis's work is less well known today, his 1915 publication of The Sentimental Bloke sold 65,000 copies in its first year, and by 1917 he was the most prosperous poet in Australian history. Together with Banjo Paterson and Henry Lawson, both of whom he had collaborated with, he is often considered among Australia's three most famous poets. While attributed to Lawson by 1911, Dennis later claimed he himself was the 'laureate of the larrikin'. When he died at the age of 61, the Prime Minister of Australia Joseph Lyons suggested he was destined to be remembered as the 'Australian Robert Burns'. more…

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