This World

This World written by William Henry Davies

From "The Bird of Paradise", 1914

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Who dreams a sweeter life than this,
  To stand and stare, when at this fence,
Back into those dumb creatures' eyes,
  And think we have their innocence -
Our looks as open as the skies.

Lambs with their legs and noses black,
  Whose woolly necks, so soft and white,
Can take away the children's breath;
  Who'd strangle them in their delight -
And calves they'd worry half to death.

This world's too full of those dull men
  Who ne'er advance from that first state
Which opens mouth before the eye;
  Who, when they think of dumb things, rate
Them by the body's gluttony.

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

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