A painting, a poem, and a piece of music

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A Summer Morning by E.A. Walton

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The Bath by Harry Graham (1874-1936)

Broad is the gate and wide the path
That leads man to his daily bath;

But e’er you spend the shining hour
With plunge and spray, with sluice and show’r,

With all that teaches you to dread
The bath as little as your bed,

Remember, whereso’er you be,
To shut the door and turn the key.

I had a friend - my friend no more!
Who failed to bolt the bathroom door;

A maiden aunt of his, one day,
Walked in, as half-submerged he lay;

But did not notice nephew John,
And turned the boiling water on!

He had no time or even scope
To camouflage himself with soap,

But gave a yell and flung aside
The sponge ‘neath which he sought to hide!

It fell to earth, I know not where;
He beat his breast in his despair

And then, like Venus from the foam,
Sprang into view and made for home.

His aunt fell fainting to the ground;
Alas! They never brought her round!

She died, intestate, in her prime,
The victim of another’s crime;

And John can never quite forget
How, by a breach of etiquette,

He lost, at one fell swoop (or plunge)
His aunt, his honour, and his sponge!

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This is a most attractive version of "Aquarium" from Carnival of the Animals by Saint-Saens. It's played by 4 Girls 4 Harps and voices. Uploaded by MisforMusic966



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MORE BLOG CHANGES ON THE WAY

80 plus began on 3rd July 2008 and, with a break of four months last year, has continued weekly. It’s now time to make changes to the blog and I want now to concentrate more on the past, especially the period which particularly interests me, 1900-1930. More details next week.

A Touch of Culture has been very successful, but I’m running short of ideas now. This week’s post will be the last one there for the present, although there’s every possibility that more will follow later on.

Within a few weeks the number of Pre-Raphaelite paintings on My Own Selection blog will have reached 150, and the collection will come to an end. However I will continue to add five paintings every week to John's Gallery.

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