poem

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I LAUGH at Life: its antics make for me a giddy game, Where only foolish fellows take themselves with solemn aim. I laugh at pomp and vanity, at riches, rank and pride; At social inanity, at swagger, swank and side. At poets, pastry-cooks and kings, at folk sublime and small, Who fuss about a thousand things that matter not at all; At those who dream of name and fame, at those who scheme for pelf... But best of all the laughing game - is laughing at myself.

Some poet chap has labelled man the noblest work of God; I see myself a charlatan, a humbug and a fraud. Yea, 'spite of show and shallow wit, and sentimental drools, I know myself a hypocrite, a coward and a fool. And though I kick myself with glee profoundly on the pants, I'm litle worse, it seems to me, than other human ants. For if you probe your private mind, impervious to shame, Oh, Gentle Reader, you may find you're much about the same.

Then let us mock with ancient mirth this comic, cosmic plan; The stars are laughing at the earth; God's greatest joke is man, For laughter is a buckler bright, and scorn a shning spear; So let us laugh with all our might at folly, fraud and fear, Yet on our sorry selves be spent our most sardonic glee. Oh don't pay life the compliment to take it seriously. For he who can himself despise, be surgeon to the bone, May win to worth in others' eyes, to wisdom in his own.

Robert Service

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-- Anonymous, August 07, 2001

Answers

Hmmm, Didn't print right did it? Paste this cause it reads better

http://www.ude.net/verse/laughter.html

-- Anonymous, August 07, 2001


Laughter by Robert W. Service

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I LAUGH at Life: its antics make for me a giddy game, Where only foolish fellows take themselves with solemn aim. I laugh at pomp and vanity, at riches, rank and pride; At social inanity, at swagger, swank and side. At poets, pastry-cooks and kings, at folk sublime and small, Who fuss about a thousand things that matter not at all; At those who dream of name and fame, at those who scheme for pelf... But best of all the laughing game - is laughing at myself.

Some poet chap has labelled man the noblest work of God; I see myself a charlatan, a humbug and a fraud. Yea, 'spite of show and shallow wit, and sentimental drools, I know myself a hypocrite, a coward and a fool. And though I kick myself with glee profoundly on the pants, I'm litle worse, it seems to me, than other human ants. For if you probe your private mind, impervious to shame, Oh, Gentle Reader, you may find you're much about the same.

Then let us mock with ancient mirth this comic, cosmic plan; The stars are laughing at the earth; God's greatest joke is man, For laughter is a buckler bright, and scorn a shning spear; So let us laugh with all our might at folly, fraud and fear, Yet on our sorry selves be spent our most sardonic glee. Oh don't pay life the compliment to take it seriously. For he who can himself despise, be surgeon to the bone, May win to worth in others' eyes, to wisdom in his own.

---------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------- Return to The Original Home Page of Robert W. Service

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-- Anonymous, August 07, 2001


Ha Ha too funny. I thought you must have typed it out Kirk, so I went and tried to help you out and copied and pasted it and it came out the same as yours. So now there are two! Funny Funny. Guess I had better just laugh at myself like ole Robert Service does there!

Nice to be thataway huh! Hard to do tho.! Hard not to take yourselve serious. Bet he had a good life tho. thinking that way. Thanks Kirk, your a shining star. TRen

-- Anonymous, August 07, 2001


Thanks for posting this Kirk.........wish I could remember it all the time!!

-- Anonymous, August 07, 2001

Thanks Kirk!

You have to put in the 'breaks' if you want to make a sentence end before the end of the space. One of those HTML things .. . . . .

I had to look up 'pelf' -- so if anyone else is wondering, it's an archaic term that means money or riches.

-- Anonymous, August 07, 2001



Tren: I took this hand mirror and regular mirror and was looking at my profile. Holy cow it was the same as my father!!! The same man I swore I would never become!! There he was, the same ole miserable face!! At first I was depressed then I cracked up laughing. THE JOKES ON ME.....Kirk

-- Anonymous, August 07, 2001

Joy: Where are the breaks? When I grow up I want to be as smart as you!! Ha!.. Kirk

-- Anonymous, August 07, 2001

I may be crazy but on my puter at least, HTML isnt necessary to make paragraphs, or spaces between. All I hafta do is hit 'enter' twice, instead of once.........

-- Anonymous, August 08, 2001

Kirk, I have no idea what Joy is talking about either. Let's see, Put on the breaks, before the space. Put your pilf up on the shelf. Sounds sort of like a rap song or something doesn't it? Man , I don't know, and what about this message that I have come across on my computer. "You might have disabled cookies on your browser." Hm, whats my Browser, is it asleep! And how are my cookies disabled! Are they all crumbled!

Kirk, I just coudn't believe it when I read what you said about seeing your Dad in the mirrer. Because I do the same! I had a dream once where my Dad's face appeared to me, after I had been laughing at him, in my dream, and his face turned into mine, and he, me, said , are you laughing at me or are you laughing at you!

And his eyes are there looking back at me when I look into the mirror.

Tren

-- Anonymous, August 08, 2001


Many thanks Kirk, I really like this service fella.

-- Anonymous, August 08, 2001


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