The Played-Out Humorist
July 6, 2023The Periwinkle Girl
July 6, 2023The Philosophic Pill
I’ve wisdom from the East and from the West,
That’s subject to no academic rule;
You may find it in the jeering of a jest,
Or distill it from the folly of a fool.
I can teach you with a quip, if I’ve a mind;
I can trick you into learning with a laugh;
Oh, winnow all my folly, and you’ll find
A grain or two of truth among the chaff!
I can set a braggart quailing with a quip,
The upstart I can wither with a whim;
He may wear a merry laugh upon his lip,
But his laughter has an echo that is grim.
When they’ve offered to the world in merry guise,
Unpleasant truths are swallowed with a will –
For he who’d make his fellow-creatures wise
Should always gild the philosophic pill!
W.S. Gilbert
W.S. Gilbert (1836-1911) was an English playwright, librettist, and poet who is best known for his collaborations with composer Arthur Sullivan. Gilbert's most famous works include the comic operas "H.M.S. Pinafore," "The Pirates of Penzance," and "The Mikado." His poetry often dealt with themes of social criticism and satire.