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27
Lord Roberts.
29
I.
My dear Field-Marshal Lord Roberts of
Kandahar and Waterford, V.C.,—
“There's a little red-faced man,
Which is Bobs,
Rides the tallest horse—” eh?
Well, I won't if you had rather I wouldn't:
As a matter of fact, I forget the rest,
And I can quite understand
That Bobs, Bobs, Bobs, Bobs, Bobs,
Bobs, Bobs, Bobs, Bobs, Bobs, Bobs, Bobs,
Bobs, Bobs, Bobs, Bobs, Bobs all the time as it were
Does become a bit trying;
I also agree with you in the view
That Kipling is a confounded—
But then, he is a poet,
And so am I,
So that we mustn't be too hard on him.
30
II.
Besides being a poet, my dear Field-Marshal,I am a judge of most things,
From cheap cigars to shorthorns,
From pretty faces to gunpowder tea,
And from infants' socks to generals,
And on the whole, sir,
I am inclined to think
That there is a certain amount of truth in the oft-repeated statement
That you
Are
A general.
31
III.
Of course we have others—To be precise, one other—
His name is Kitchener.
Of him you know as much
As I do:
He appears to be a sort of contractor
Who does things to time;
And as I never do things to time myself,
I feel—if I may say so, dear Field-Marshal—
That I like you
More'n I like him.
32
IV.
HowsomeverIt is not my intention,
On this occasion,
To draw invidious comparisons:
My immediate business
Is with you,
And, by your kind leave,
I will endeavour to get through with it
Right away.
33
V.
There can be no doubtThat this South African row
Is giving you an amount of pull in military affairs,
Such as has not been enjoyed
By any fighting person
Since Wellington.
The great British public
Looks towards you
Confidently;
It is you upon whom it depends
For the prosecution
Of the war to a successful issue
(Or words to that effect).
Not only so,
But—unless I am hugely mistaken—
It is on you
That the great British public
Will ultimately have to depend
For the cleaning out
Of certain of our army stables.
34
VI.
On this workYou will probably be employed
In the near future:
That is to say,
As soon as you have settled with Uncle Paul:
Kitchener, of course, will help you,
And I am writing to express the hope
That, between you,
You will do the job
Once and for all,
And with absolute
Thoroughness.
35
VII.
Don't forget what I have said.36
VIII.
Good-bye and good-luck! | Pleasant Odes | |