The Jolly Tramp

The Jolly Tramp written by William Henry Davies

New Poems (1907)

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I am a jolly tramp: I whine to you,
Then whistle till I meet another fool.
I call the labourer sir, the boy young man,
The maid young lady, and the mother I
Will flatter through the youngest child that walks.
In sooth, there's no joy in a poor man's house,
Save when the little baby walks or swears;
Still do they pity my pretended grief.
When, like that fallen oak stripped of its bark,
Showing the naked muscles of its limbs
Flat on the ground - I lie with my coat off,
Hidden in deep green grass that's high enough
To miss a baby in, I pity half the world.
If it be summer time, then what care I
For naked feet, and flesh through tattered garb?
O foolish Pride, discomfort is thy due;
That made a savage take an axe to chop
His feet that were too large to fit small shoes.
What though I read few books, I can read men,
And weigh a face for what the heart is worth,
Far better than the fools who think they know.
So that the sun shines bright, I like to rest
All day, to let the body lie in sloth,
And make imagination do the work;
Such work is sweet, and brings no sweat or ache.
Their questions and their pity make me laugh,
But idle men can always find excuse.
Alas! I do not always laugh: for see
How fine was yester morn; the heavens clear;
Then came a golden cloud with three dark ones -
Three pirates following a peaceful barque;
The heavy rain tugged with its might for hours,
And almost pulled the heavens down to earth;
And then came torrents, and no jolly tramp
Was I, but whined in truth most pitiful.

This work is in the public domain in countries where the copyright term is the author's life plus 70 years or less.