and poet, best known to the general public for his cycle of poems A Shropshire Lad
. Lyrical and almost epigram
matic in form, the poems were mostly written before 1900. Their wistful evocation of doomed youth in the English countryside, in spare language and distinctive imagery, appealed strongly to late Victorian
and Edwardian
taste, and to many early 20th century English composers (beginning with Arthur Somervell
) both before and after the First World War.
The house of delusions is cheap to build, but draughty to live in, and ready at any instant to fall. 
Three minutes' thought would suffice to find this out; but thought is irksome and three minutes is a long time.
Most men are rather stupid, and most of those who are not stupid are, consequently, rather vain.
It is supposed that there has been progress in the science of textual criticism, and the most frivolous pretender has learned to talk superciliously about "the old unscientific days". The old unscientific days are everlasting; they are here and now; they are renewed perennially by the ear which takes formulas in, and the tongue which gives them out again, and the mind which meanwhile is empty of reflexion and stuffed with self-complacency.
My heart always warms to people who do not come to see me, especially Americans, to whom it seems to be more of an effort.
Oh who is that young sinner with the handcuffs on his wrists?And what has he been after that they groan and shake their fists?And wherefore is he wearing such a conscience-stricken air?Oh they're taking him to prison for the colour of his hair.
Nature, not content with denying to Mr — the faculty of thought, has endowed him with the faculty of writing.