Poem: Aladdin says. . . .

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Poem: Aladdin says. . . .

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1bluepiano
Jun. 26, 2017, 12:20 pm

My summer project has been sorting through boxes of papers, photos, memorabilia collected by various people in my family. One of the bemusing things I've come across is a handwritten poem with the title 'Aladdin': I've tried googling it, although not terribly extensively, with different terms but haven't been able to find anything that fits. Does it ring a bell with anyone? (I know the handwriting; it's that of someone who might I suppose have written the poem himself but from the sound of it I doubt that's the case.) Cheers.

Beginning:

Do not be greedy for those (these?) jewels
Aladdin said to me
For those that lie at the cave's mouth
Are touched immortally.

Any coward can pick them up,
Back to the world turn (run?)
Bragging of how he robbed the nest
Of the enchanted one.

Ending:

Every atom of clay,
Every worn stone
Becomes your wish for beauty
The world cannot own

Or steal or (buy?) for boasting---
Friendless now, we
Are close to the secret (of?) life (cave?)
Aladdin said to me.

2lilithcat
Jun. 26, 2017, 12:26 pm

Found it!

It's apparently by Patrick Kavanagh. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrick_Kavanagh

See http://homepage.tinet.ie/~progers/kav1only.htm (Bit of a lengthy page, but search it for the word "clay" and you'll find the quote.) It doesn't contain the whole poem, though.

3bluepiano
Jun. 26, 2017, 1:23 pm

Well bless your cotton-pickin' heart, that was fast. I'm kicking myself for not having thought of Kavanaugh now, given that yer man was so keen on him.

Thanks so much.

4humouress
Jun. 27, 2017, 3:28 pm