A very humble pen I ply <br /> Beneath a cottage thatch; <br />And in the sunny hours I try <br /> To till my cabbage patch; <br />And in the gloaming glad am I <br /> To lift the latch. <br /> <br />I do not plot to pile up pelf, <br /> With jowl and belly fat; <br />To simple song I give myself, <br /> And seek no gain at that: <br />Content if milk is on the shelf <br /> To feed the cat. <br /> <br />I joy that haleness I possess, <br /> Though fame has passed me by; <br />And see such gold of happiness <br /> A-shining in the sky, <br />I wonder who has won success, <br /> Proud men or I? <br /> <br />I do not grieve that I am poor, <br /> And by the world unknown; <br />Free as the wind, serene and sure, <br /> In peace I live alone. <br />'Tis better to be bard obscure <br /> Than King on Throne.<br /><br />Robert William Service<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/kail-yard-bard/
