“Other Days,”—William Morris.
William Morris, a celebrated English poet and writer on socialism, was born near London, March 24, 1834, and died at Hammersmith, October 3, 1896. His poetical writings include: “Defence of Guenevere and Other Poems,” “Life and Death of Jason,” “The Earthly Paradise,” “Love Is Enough,” “Poems by the Way,” “The Story of Sigurd,” etc. He also wrote: “The House of the Wolfings,” “The Roots of the Mountains,” “Hopes and Fears for Art,” etc., and translated the “Æneid” in 1876, and the “Odyssey” in 1887.
Oh, dinna ask me gin I lo’e ye:
Troth, I daurna tell!
Dinna ask me gin I lo’e ye,—
Ask it o’ yoursel’.
“Dinna Ask Me,”—John Dunlop.
John Dunlop, a noted Scottish song-writer, was born March 25 (?), 1755, and died at Port Glasgow, September 4, 1820. His Most famous song is, “Oh, Dinna Ask Me Gin I Lo’e Ye,” which won for him great fame.
The stately ship is seen no more,
The fragile skiff attains the shore;
And while the great and wise decay,
And all their trophies pass away,
Some sudden thought, some careless rhyme,
Still floats above the wrecks of Time.
“On an Old Song,”—William Edward Hartpole Lecky.
William Edward Hartpole Lecky, a distinguished English historian, was born in Dublin, Ireland, March 26, 1838, and died in 1903. Among his works may be mentioned: “History of the Rise and Influence of the Spirit of Rationalism in Europe,” “The Leaders of Public Opinion in Ireland,” “A History of England in the 18th Century,” “A History of Ireland in the 18th Century,” “Democracy and Liberty,” “A History of European Morals from Augustus to Charlemagne.”
When I was one and twenty
I heard a wise man say:
“Give crowns and pounds and guineas
But not your heart away.”
“A Shropshire Lad,”—Alfred Edward Housman.