Better Gutenberg
Free, beautifully formatted public-domain ebooks
‹Better GutenbergJohn Marr and Other PoemsThe Bench of Boors · 26 of 78Contents›

John Marr and Other Poems

by Herman Melville

26 of 78 · Contents · Download EPUB

The Bench of Boors

In bed I muse on Tenier’s boors,
Embrowned and beery losels all;
        A wakeful brain
        Elaborates pain:
Within low doors the slugs of boors
Laze and yawn and doze again.

In dreams they doze, the drowsy boors,
Their hazy hovel warm and small:
        Thought’s ampler bound
        But chill is found:
Within low doors the basking boors
Snugly hug the ember-mound.

Sleepless, I see the slumberous boors
Their blurred eyes blink, their eyelids fall:
        Thought’s eager sight
        Aches—overbright!
Within low doors the boozy boors
Cat-naps take in pipe-bowl light.

← Back to John Marr and Other Poems

Scroll to Top