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black rook
02-24-2003, 01:00 PM
greetings and salutations, does anyone out in this virtual reality have a copy of aldous huxley's poem "the fifth philosophers song"? if you do and you could post it or mail it to me my gratitude would be eternal!!
Rebecca

zampano
08-14-2006, 10:28 AM
black rook

This happens to have been my favourite from an anthology of poems I've had for years. ('English poetry 1918-1960', Penguin)
However, due to my inherent laziness, I've pasted Huxley's poem from the following site: http://www.rps.psu.edu/sep96/babies.html

The poem's wry humour and Noah's Ark metaphor just happen to particularly appeal to me.
Some say it's adolescent humour, rather unfairly.



'Fifth Philosophers Song'

A million million spermatozoa
All of them alive;
Out of their cataclysm but one poor Noah
Dare hope to survive.

And among that billion minus one
Might have chanced to be
Shakespeare, another Newton, a new Donne--
But the One was Me.

Shame to have ousted your betters thus,
Taking ark while the others remained outside!
Better for all of us, froward Homunculus,
If you'd quietly died!

Aldous Huxley (1920)