That's interesting, David. Tell us why you think the Housman falls down. A poem doesn't have to be wonderful to be perfect. Perfection means there's nothing in the poem you could ever change to make it better. I feel this is the case with several of Housman's poems. Short simple lyrics stand more chance of attaining perfection than long complex poems. 'The Waste Land' is a great poem but it can't be perfect. Byron's 'So we'll go no more a-roving' is perfect but is not as great as 'The Waste Land'. Or is it????
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