The mortal sickness of a mind too unhappy to be kind. A. E. Housman More Quotes by A. E. Housman More Quotes From A. E. Housman On Wenlock Edge the wood's in trouble;His forest fleece the Wrekin heaves;The wind it plies the saplings double, And thick on Severn snow the leaves. A. E. Housman saplings snow wind To justify God's ways to man. A. E. Housman drinking men way Hope lies to mortals And most believe her, But man's deceiver Was never mine. A. E. Housman hope believe lying Now hollow fires burn out to black, And lights are guttering low: Square your shoulders, lift your pack And leave your friends and go. A. E. Housman squares fire friendship These, in the day when heaven was falling, The hour when earth's foundations fled, Followed their mercenary calling And took their wages and are dead. The British regulars who made the retreat from Mons, beginning August 24, 1914. A. E. Housman august heaven fall But if you ever come to a road where danger; Or guilt or anguish or shame's to share. Be good to the lad who loves you true, And the soul that was born to die for you; And whistle and I'll be there. A. E. Housman guilt soul love Lovers lying two and two Ask not whom they sleep beside, And the bridegroom all night through Never turns him to the bride. A. E. Housman sleep night lying The rainy Pleiads wester Orion plunges prone, And midnight strikes and hastens, And I lie down alone. A. E. Housman orion midnight lying Tomorrow, more's the pity, Away we both must hie, To air the ditty and to earth I. A. E. Housman tomorrow earth air But men at whiles are sober And think by fits and starts. And if they think, they fasten Their hands upon their hearts A. E. Housman heart men thinking Good night; ensured release, Imperishable peace, Have these for yours. * While sky and sea and land And earth's foundations stand And heaven endures. *These three lines are on the tablet over Housman's grave in the parish church at Ludlow, Shropshire, England A. E. Housman good-night land sea Earth and high heaven are fixed of old and founded strong. A. E. Housman strong earth heaven Oh who is that young sinner with the handcuffs on his wrist? And what has he been after that they groan and shake their fists? And wherefore is he wearing such a conscience-stricken air? Oh they're taking him to prison for the colour of his hair. A. E. Housman prison fists hair There, like the wind through woods in riot, A. E. Housman change wind men Some men are more interesting than their books but my book is more interesting than its man. A. E. Housman men book interesting To be a textual critic requires aptitude for thinking and willingness to think; and though it also requires other things, those things are supplements and cannot be substitutes. Knowledge is good, method is good, but one thing beyond all others is necessary; and that is to have a head, not a pumpkin, on your shoulders and brains, not pudding, in your head. A. E. Housman pudding brain thinking Luck's a chance, but trouble's sure. A. E. Housman chance luck trouble On occasions, after drinking a pint of beer at luncheon, there would be a flow into my mind with sudden and unaccountable emotion, sometimes a line or two of verse, sometimes a whole stanza, accompanied, not preceded by a vague notion of the poem which they were destined to form a part of.... I say bubble up because, so far as I could make out, the source of the suggestions thus proffered to the brain was the pit of the stomach. A. E. Housman drinking beer two Experience has taught me, when I am shaving of a morning, to keep watch over my thoughts, because, if a line of poetry strays into my memory, my skin bristles so that the razor ceases to act. A. E. Housman skins morning memories
