And oh! the people, oh! the parties here! Musician, Author, Artist, Aristocrat! Dear Lady Carabas, with Mr. Queer; The Cosmopolitan Marquise, with that
Old Duchess of St. Dodo, whose tiara Is made of snakes and scorpions--they are a
Present from the Devil, whose assistance She claimed on earth--Himself now welcomes in The new arrival, saying "For Persistence You have no equal, so, though free from Sin,
We here create you Honorary Member, Beginning from the Fifth day of November,
(A Saint's day here)." Now authors and Debrett Mingle their laughing tears to music's swell, For here are some whom she has never met --And Mrs. Kinfoot finds her Heaven in Hell!
It isn't that I don't like them, My dear Mrs. Kinfoot, But I know I am not clever, And I like your old friends best.
As for the General He disapproves of Art, And does not believe in it. He has noticed That Artists Have an odd look in their eyes, And a shifty expression. In fact, The General disapproves of Art.
He finds that Artists Are stupid And difficult to talk to-- He remembers meeting one In '97 Who was not interested In Polo, --And appeared To be unaware of the existence Of the old Duke of Cambridge.
My husband didn't get angry, He just said to him, like that, "What are you interested in? _ART_, I suppose?"
In spite of this The General thinks That music is more dangerous --And subversive of discipline Than painting-- For--in painting-- That is to say In good painting-- You can see put down on canvas What you can see yourself-- --And you can touch it With your finger-- A picture should be the same As a coloured photograph, Except that the camera Reveals things Invisible to the Human Eye; That is wrong! (By the Human Eye The General says He means His own eye) But in Music You can see nothing, And you are unable To touch it With your fingers; The General disapproves of Art, --But it makes him positively nervous To hear music.
The General says that, As far as he can make out, All musicians Have been German-- But he can only remember The name of one-- Nietzsche! As the war Was German in origin, It is obvious that it was made By German Composers And _not_ By German Generals --Many of whom were fine fellows Who loved a good joke. The General remembers one Who laughed like anything At one of his stories. The war was made by German musicians --Just as surely As our own Pacific and imaginative policy Was interpreted By Kipling and Lady Butler.