But oh, the days when I was poor, a vagrant in a ditch!
When every dawn was like a gem, so radiant and rare,
And I had but a single coat, and not a single care;
When I would feast right royally on bacon, bread and beer,
And dig into a stack of hay and doze like any peer;
When I would wash beside a brook my solitary shirt,
And though it dried upon my back I never took a hurt;
When I went romping down the road contemptuous of care,
And slapped Adventure on the back -- by Gad! we were a pair;
When, though my pockets lacked a coin, and though my coat was old,
The largess of the stars was mine, and all the sunset gold;
When time was only made for fools, and free as air was I,
And hard I hit and hard I lived beneath the open sky;
When all the roads were one to me, and each had its allure . . .
Ye Gods! these were the happy days, the days when I was poor
Now The person that wrote this is telling us that he is happy with what he has and thinks he has more happiness than rich people because he "slapped Adventure on the back -- by Gad! we were a pair;" while the rich were singing of gold and jewels and have no view of the world outside of their riches. he also said he would feast on "bacon bread and beer" The bacon and bread i'm guessing is coming from the homeless shelter every night. But he probably bought the beer himself with the money he got. I also searched up what largess means and it doesn't mean the largest of the stars. it actually means generosity in bestowing gifts upon others. So what he means when he says the largess of the stars was mine. He means the gifts of the stars is his and not the largest of the stars was his. So he says when he lacks in gold and jewels he makes up for in the beauty of the world. So according this poem he is very content in what he has and he loves traveling the world. I get that he travels the world because near the end of the poem he says "When all the roads were one to me, and each had it's allure" So i'm guessing he travels a lot and know the roads Here is the link to the full poem. I will cover most of the poem but if you want to read the full poem yourself without any review in the middle than here Now here is the second paragraph
Or else, again, old pal of mine, do you recall the times
You struggled with your storyettes, I wrestled with my rhymes;
Oh, we were happy, were we not? — we used to live so "high"
(A little bit of broken roof between us and the sky);
Upon the forge of art we toiled with hammer and with tongs;
You told me all your rippling yarns, I sang to you my songs.
Our hats were frayed, our jackets patched, our boots were down at heel,
But oh, the happy men were we, although we lacked a meal.
And if I sold a bit of rhyme, or if you placed a tale,
What feasts we had of tenderloins and apple-tarts and ale!
And yet how often we would dine as cheerful as you please,
Beside our little friendly fire on coffee, bread and cheese.
We lived upon the ragged edge, and grub was never sure,
But oh, these were the happy days, the days when we were poor.
Now according to this paragraph he used to live with a male author. Im guessing male author because in the paragraph it says "You struggle with your storyettes,I wrestled with my rhymes."
He also says "But oh the happy men were we, although we lacked a meal." They used to live in a small space with a broken roof and they had broken-down pieces of clothing that were frayed patched and all sorts of stuff. but Still they were happy when they were able to sell a rhyme or tell a story for a bit of money. When they did that they got some food of tenderloins and apple-tarts and a type of beer called ale. I searched up what it was and found it had a bitter taste but had a lot of alcohol in it. Now here is the final paragraph
Alas! old man, we're wealthy now, it's sad beyond a doubt;
We cannot dodge prosperity, success has found us out.
Your eye is very dull and drear, my brow is creased with care,
We realize how hard it is to be a millionaire.
The burden's heavy on our backs — you're thinking of your rents,
I'm worrying if I'll invest in five or six per cents.
We've limousines, and marble halls, and flunkeys by the score,
We play the part . . . but say, old chap, oh, isn't it a bore?
We work like slaves, we eat too much, we put on evening dress;
We've everything a man can want, I think . . . but happiness.
Come, let us sneak away, old chum; forget that we are rich,
And earn an honest appetite, and scratch an honest itch.
Let's be two jolly garreteers, up seven flights of stairs,
And wear old clothes and just pretend we aren't millionaires;
And wonder how we'll pay the rent, and scribble ream on ream,
And sup on sausages and tea, and laugh and loaf and dream.
And when we're tired of that, my friend, oh, you will come with me;
And we will seek the sunlit roads that lie beside the sea.
We'll know the joy the gipsy knows, the freedom nothing mars,
The golden treasure-gates of dawn, the mintage of the stars.
We'll smoke our pipes and watch the pot, and feed the crackling fire,
And sing like two old jolly boys, and dance to heart's desire;
We'll climb the hill and ford the brook and camp upon the moor . . .
Old chap, let's haste, I'm mad to taste the Joy of Being Poor.
Now according to this entire paragraph they are now millionares but they miss when they were carefree and didn't have to meet quotas or be able to explore the world like they could when they were homeless and poor. Now hopefully you guys will be able to enjoy this poem and be able to appreciate it like i have
