Noah and the Rabbit
by
Hugh Chesterman


"No land" said Noah,
"There - is - not - any - land.
Oh, Rabbit, Rabbit, can't you understand?"

But Rabbit shook his head:
"Say it again" he said;
"And slowly, please.
No good brown earth for burrows,
And no trees;
No wastes where vetch and rabbit-parsley grows,
No brakes, no bushes, and no turnip rows,
No holt, no upland, meadowland or weald,
No tangled hedgerow and no playtime field?"

"No land at all - just water," Noah replied,
And Rabbit sighed.
"For always, Noah?" he whispered, "will there be
Nothing henceforth for ever but the sea?
Or will there come a day
When the green earth will call me back to play?"

Noah bowed his head:
"Some day . . . some day," he said.

I haven't found any more of this fellow's poems, but I found him mentioned

as the ILLUSTRATOR of a book called MIGHTY MEN by Eleanor Farjeon,

and as the AUTHOR of a children's book called PROUD SIR PIM.

Both appear to be very rare and hard to find.

And here (again) is the poem that Chesil found (HOW????) in reply to Sally Henderson's request:



"London Calling Christopher Wren"
by Hugh Chesterman


Clever men
Like Christopher Wren
Only occur just now and then.
No one expects
In perpetuity
Architects of his ingenuity;
No, never a cleverer dipped his pen
Than clever Sir Christopher - Christopher Wren,
With his chaste designs
On classical lines,
His elegant curves and neat inclines.
For all day long he'd measure and limn
Till the ink gave out or the light grew dim.
And if a Plan
Seemed rather baroque or too 'Queen Anne'
(As Plans well may),
He'd take a look
At his pattern book
And do it again in a different way.
Every day of the week was filled
With a church to mend or a church to build,
And never an hour went by but when
London needed Sir Christopher Wren.
'Bride's in Fleet Street lacks a spire.
Mary-le-Bow a nave and choir.'
'Please to send the plans complete
For a new Saint Stephen's, Coleman Street.'
'Pewterer's Hall is much too tall,
Kindly lower the N.W. wall.'
'Salisbury Square,
Decidedly bare
Can you put one of your churches there?'
Dome of St Paul's is not yet done,
Dean's been waiting since half-past one
London calling from ten till ten,
London calling Christopher Wren!

That dome might have been the same zinger in Bentley's famous clerihew.

Sir Christopher Wren
Said, 'I am going to dine with some men.
If anyone calls
Say I am designing St. Paul's.'

Nice-- now I have a sudden urge to reread Watership Down.

pam

... with a bowl of carrot sticks beside you...