The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #25650   Message #1964813
Posted By: GUEST,leeneia
12-Feb-07 - 10:18 AM
Thread Name: Anyone here had to recite?
Subject: RE: Anyone here had to recite - Part 2
When I was about ten years old, every kid in the class of 30 had to recite the Storming of Ratisbon. (Talk about tedious!) I believe it was by Browning. I'm sure most of us had no understanding of what the poem was actually about.

We got our revenge by doing this. The poet wrote:

"I'm killed, sire!" and with his chief beside,
Smiling the boy fell dead.

We recited:

"I'm killed, sire!" and with his chief beside, smiling.
The boy fell dead.

Feeble, yes, but we were doing what we could.