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Poem
March 7, 1896
The Courier
Lincoln, Lancaster County, Nebraska
What is this article about?
A satirical poem portraying a battered heart for sale in Vanity Fair, symbolizing the deceptive bargains of worldly life that bring enduring sorrow and remorse to the buyer.
Clipping
OCR Quality
98%
Excellent
Full Text
VANITY FAIR
There is buying and selling in Vanity Fair,
Buying and selling of bargains rare -
Here, for instance, is offered a heart;
Seamed and shrunken and scarred and scant;
Battered beyond the age of art,
And hard at the core as adamant.
Who shall buy it and bear it, lo!
Sorrow and woe shall rare know.
Though ever they come in delusive show,
For the heart is a coffer, and 'neath the lid
Mask-ed miseries lurk and lie -
"Who'll be the first to offer a bid?
Who'll buy? Who'll buy?"
And the crowd, with eager, expectant eyes,
Wistfully view the proffered prize!
And some of them cry, with an envious air -
"Fortune is kind to the buyer, for e'er
A heart that is calloused and world wise
Is a boon and comfort; and all should be r
Some such a bauble in Vanity Fair!"
But who shall buy it, and bear it away,
Shall mourn for more than it can re-pay -
The hopes and illusions, fond and fair;
And youthful dreams, divinely rare,
Shall wane and wither -- less and less,
Till all the world is weariness!
For ever, thereafter, it shall bring
With it a bountiful burgeoning
Of blooms, delusive, that promise de-light,
But only bear remorse and care;
And Woe shall go with him by day and by night,
Even in Vanity Fair.
-Mark Forrest.
There is buying and selling in Vanity Fair,
Buying and selling of bargains rare -
Here, for instance, is offered a heart;
Seamed and shrunken and scarred and scant;
Battered beyond the age of art,
And hard at the core as adamant.
Who shall buy it and bear it, lo!
Sorrow and woe shall rare know.
Though ever they come in delusive show,
For the heart is a coffer, and 'neath the lid
Mask-ed miseries lurk and lie -
"Who'll be the first to offer a bid?
Who'll buy? Who'll buy?"
And the crowd, with eager, expectant eyes,
Wistfully view the proffered prize!
And some of them cry, with an envious air -
"Fortune is kind to the buyer, for e'er
A heart that is calloused and world wise
Is a boon and comfort; and all should be r
Some such a bauble in Vanity Fair!"
But who shall buy it, and bear it away,
Shall mourn for more than it can re-pay -
The hopes and illusions, fond and fair;
And youthful dreams, divinely rare,
Shall wane and wither -- less and less,
Till all the world is weariness!
For ever, thereafter, it shall bring
With it a bountiful burgeoning
Of blooms, delusive, that promise de-light,
But only bear remorse and care;
And Woe shall go with him by day and by night,
Even in Vanity Fair.
-Mark Forrest.
What sub-type of article is it?
Satire
What themes does it cover?
Satire Society
Moral Virtue
What keywords are associated?
Vanity Fair
Scarred Heart
Buying Illusions
Sorrow Woe
Moral Warning
What entities or persons were involved?
Mark Forrest
Poem Details
Title
Vanity Fair
Author
Mark Forrest
Key Lines
Here, For Instance, Is Offered A Heart;
Seamed And Shrunken And Scarred And Scant;
Who'll Buy? Who'll Buy?
And Woe Shall Go With Him By Day And By Night,