“When I was One and Twenty“ by A.E. Housman (read by Tom O’Bedlam)

This poem is very short so I included “With Rue my Heart is Laden“. These sentimental verses are very popular. Sentiment isn’t considered to be a good thing in Britain. It’s a fair criticism to say that they’re untruthful and unrealistic - unless you can believe that he really met a wise man who was having a lapse of good judgment. If he’d asked me for advice at twenty-one I would have told him that it’s not a good idea to give your heart away nor any other organ for that matter. And if you have