Poem by Hilaire Belloc

On Vital Statistics

Ill fares the land to hast’ning ills a prey (1) 
Where wealth accumulates and men decay.’ 
But how much more unfortunate are those 
Where wealth declines and population grows! 

(1)This line is execrable; and I note it.
I quote it as the faulty poet wrote it.

1. The South Country
2. On Torture: A Public Singer
3. The Tiger
4. Time Cures All
5. Algernon

Print

1191 Views

Last Poems

To Russian version