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On His Books

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For a writerFunnyPlain English Unusual

Hilaire Belloc · 1923

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On His Books

Hilaire Belloc · 1923

When I am dead, I hope it may be said: "His sins were scarlet, but his books were read."

Public domain in the UK and the US · serany.app

What Serany thinks about this poem

For a writerFunnyPlain English Unusual

Background

Belloc put it in a book of his verse in 1923. He wrote more than a hundred books and was known for enjoying himself thoroughly.

Meaning

It is a joke about his own funeral. He hopes somebody will say he sinned in scarlet and that his books were read, and you have to say that last word out loud to get it.

Who's it for

Someone who would have hated a solemn funeral and told a joke at their own. Right for a reader, a writer, or a cheerful rogue.

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