“On the Vanity of Earthly Greatness”
(Arthur Guiterman)
The tusks which clashed in mighty brawls
Of mastodons, are billiard balls.
The sword of Charlemagne the Just
Is Ferric Oxide, known as rust.
The grizzly bear, whose potent hug,
Was feared by all, is now a rug.
Great Caesar's bust is on the shelf,
And I don't feel so well myself.
Arthur Guiterman (1871 -1943) was an editor of the Woman's Home Companion and the Literary Digest, a co-founder the Poetry Society of America, and a delightful poet whose work was published in over a dozen collections including Betel Nuts: What They Say In Hindustan (1907), The Laughing Muse (1915), and Gaily the Troubadour (1936). In the next few days I’ll share a few more of my favorite Guiterman poems.