Appreciation: The Height of the Ridiculous — Oliver Wendell Holmes
The Height of the Ridiculous — Oliver Wendell Holmes I wrote some lines once on a time, In wondrous merry mood, And thought, as usual, men would say They were exceeding good. They were so queer, so very queer, I laughed as I would die; Albeit, in the general way, A sober man am I. I called my servant, and he came; How kind it was of him To mind a slender man like me, He of the mighty limb! “These to the printer,” I exclaimed, And, in my humorous way, I added (as a trifling jest), “There’ll be the devil to pay.” He took the paper, and I watched, At the least, I’m sure, an hour, To see him fold his giant arms, Lethargic in their power. He did not tremble when he took The paper in his hand; He did not stagger when he went To bear it to the stand. But, when he read them, oh, the change! The horror in his face! He dropped the paper to the floor, And staggered back a pace. Then suddenly he clutched his side, With a convulsive sob, And, like a wretch half...