by Edith Sitwell (1887 - 1964)

When Sir Beelzebub
Language: English 
When
Sir
Beelzebub called for his syllabub
in the hotel in Hell
Where Proserpine first fell,
Blue as the gendarmerie were the
waves of the sea,
(Rocking and shocking the bar-maid)
Nobody comes to give him his rum
but the
Rim of the sky hippopotamus-glum
Enhances the chances to bless with
a benison
Alfred Lord Tennyson crossing the
bar laid
With cold vegetation from pale
deputations
Of temperance workers
(all signed in Memoriam)
Hoping with glory to trip up the
Laureate's feet,
(Moving in classical metres)...
Like Balaclava, the lava came down
from the Roof, and the sea's blue
wooden gendarmerie
Took them in charge while
Beelzebub roared for his rum.
...None of them come!

Please note: this text, provided here for educational and research use, is in the public domain in Canada and the U.S., but it may still be copyright in other legal jurisdictions. The LiederNet Archive makes no guarantee that the above text is public domain in your country. Please consult your country's copyright statutes or a qualified IP attorney to verify whether a certain text is in the public domain in your country or if downloading or distributing a copy constitutes fair use. The LiederNet Archive assumes no legal responsibility or liability for the copyright compliance of third parties.

Text Authorship:

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):


Researcher for this page: Dan Eggleston

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 28
Word count: 115