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The Complete Works of James Whitcomb Riley

in ten volumes
Riley, James Whitcomb (1849-1916)

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VOLUME I
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VOLUME II
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VOLUME III
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VOLUME IV
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VOLUME V
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VOLUME VI
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VOLUME VII
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VOLUME VIII
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VOLUME IX

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2127

PROSE OR VERSE?

Prose or Verse—or Verse or Prose?
Ever thus the query goes,—
Which delight do we prefer—
Which the finer—daintier?
Each incites a zest that grows—
Prose or Verse—or Verse or Prose?—
Each a lotus-eater's spell
Wholly irresistible.
All that wit may fashion, free-
Voiced, or piped in melody,—
Prose or Verse—or Verse or Prose—
Which of these the mastery knows?
'Twere as wise to question, friend—
As of this alluring blend,—
The aroma or the rose?—
Prose or Verse—or Verse or Prose?
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