by Eric Blair (1903 - 1950)
Ironic Poem about Prostitution
Language: English
When I was young and had no sense In far-off Mandalay I lost my heart to a Burmese girl As lovely as the day. Her skin was gold, her hair was jet, Her teeth were ivory; I said, "for twenty silver pieces, Maiden, sleep with me". She looked at me, so pure, so sad, The loveliest thing alive, And in her lisping, virgin voice, Stood out for twenty-five.
Text Authorship:
- by Eric Blair (1903 - 1950) ( later known as George Orwell ) , first published <<1923 [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Gary Bachlund (b. 1947), "Ironic Poem about Prostitution", 2009 [baritone and piano] [ sung text checked 1 time]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2009-03-08
Line count: 12
Word count: 68