Month: October 2011

Gour

Thursday’s Piece

Somebody said that it couldn’t be done,
But he with a chuckle replied
That “maybe it couldn’t,” but he would be one
Who wouldn’t say so till he’d tried.
So he buckled right in with the trace of a grin
On his face. If he worried he hid it.
He started to sing as he tackled the thing
That couldn’t be done, and he did it.

Somebody scoffed: “Oh, you’ll never do that;
At least no one ever has done it”;
But he took off his coat and he took off his hat,
And the first thing we knew he’d begun it.
With a lift of his chin and a bit of a grin,
Without any doubting or quiddit,
He started to sing as he tackled the thing
That couldn’t be done, and he did it.

There are thousands to tell you it cannot be done,
There are thousands to prophesy failure;
There are thousands to point out to you, one by one,
The dangers that wait to assail you.
But just buckle in with a bit of a grin,
Just take off your coat and go to it;
Just start to sing as you tackle the thing
That “cannot be done,” and you’ll do it.

(Edgar A. Guest, 1881 – 1959)

John Lentell

17th March, 1970

Gour

Tuesday’s Piece

When asked which way he preferred to lay his head on the block, Sir Walter Raleigh said:

“So the heart be right, it is no matter which way the head lies”.

(Sir Walter Raleigh by W. Stebbing)

John Lentell

15th March, 1970

Gour

Friday’s Piece

“It should be noted that the word Politician is used in the dictionary in the general meaning of ‘a person engaged in politics’ and has no derogatory implication.”

(Explanatory note in the Webster’s Biographical Dictionary)

John Lentell

11th March, 1970