A lovely offering from My First Book of Poems, “Tartary” was a favorite poem of my son Alex when he was very small. Read it aloud and taste its rhythmic beauty:
Tartary
If I were Lord of Tartary,
Myself and me alone,
My bed should be of ivory,
Of beaten gold my throne;
And in my court should peacocks flaunt,
And in my forests tigers haunt,
And in my pools great fishes slant
Their fins athwart the sun.
If I were Lord of Tartary,
Trumpeters every day
To all my meals should summon me,
And in my courtyards bray;
And in the evenings lamps would shine
Yellow as honey, red as wine,
While harp and flute and mandoline
Made music sweet and gay.
—-Walter De La Mare
“Their fins athwart the sun” — I just adore this line!