To Bacchus

The Hour of Magic written by William Henry Davies

From "The Hour of Magic", 1922

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I'm none of those - Oh Bacchus, blush!
   That eat sour pickles with their beer,
To keep their brains and bellies cold;
   Ashamed to let one laughing tear
Escape their hold.

For only just to smell your hops
   Can make me fat and laugh all day,
With appetite for bread and meat:
   I'll not despise bruised apples, they
Make cider sweet.

'Tis true I only eat to live,
   But how I live to drink is clear;
   A little isle of meat and bread,
In one vast sea of foaming beer,
And I'm well fed.

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