A long time
back there was a rich man who hated mankind. He wanted his own memory
to live for even after his death. He
had a bright idea. He made a will in which he kept apart a portion of his
income to be spent on annual prize for the best poem submitted by a student of
Sixth Form of St. Austin’s college. The poem was to be written on a subject
chosen by the Headmaster. Every student of the Form was required to compete.
Most of the students were not in a position to write a poem. Only one or two
brilliant students could do so. So most students disliked the announcement on
the subject of the poem. This imposition on the students was given up after a
period of twenty seven years.
Reynolds
was the cause of this change. He was in the hospital. He was recovering after
his attack of German measles. He was visited by a student named Smith of the Sixth Form. He
told Reynolds about the Prize Poem. Smith was not a poet. Reynolds felt
interested in the idea. He wanted to see himself in the role of a poet.
He wanted to see some of his lines in print. He had tried to send poems to
various magazines but they were always rejected. Smith told Reynolds that
the poem was to be written on the subject of the college. Reynolds liked
the subject. He wished that he were in the Sixth Form of the school. Smith
wished that he were in the hospital.
Reynolds
agreed to do the poem. Smith could sent it for the competition. Smith
assured him that this poem would not get a prize. Reynolds told Smith that if
the poem won a prize they would have to tell the headmaster about who wrote it.
Reynolds read out four lines for a beginning:
Imposing
pile, reared up ‘midst pleasant grounds,
The scene
of many a battle lost or won,
At cricket
or football; Whose red walls
Full many a
son has kissed ere day is done.
Smith
suggested that he should include something about the M.C.C match. He could also
make cricket rhyme with wicket. Smith then took leave of Reynolds as he had to
take part in a house-match.
Reynolds
wrote down the lines he had already composed. After a few minutes he wrote
another four lines. He crossed them out and then selected a fresh piece of
paper. He then selected a third piece of paper. He produced a sort of fair
copy in his best handwriting with the title ‘Ode to the college’. In
the meantime, an elderly lady came inside the room with Reynolds tea. She
flung wide the door. To editions (copies) of the ode to the college “flew out
of the room because of a strong wind blowing. Reynolds started taking tea
without trying to recover his flown papers. Besides, he remembered the lines
and he could easily rewrite them. He did not bother about the three sheets of
paper that had flown.
Later in
the afternoon, Montgomery of the Sixth Form, happened to be passing
by the hospital (infirmary). A piece of paper blew at him. There were four
lines on the paper. He thought that he could add two lines and enter the poem
for the competition. He added two more lines to the previous four. Two nights
afterwards, Morrison, also of the Sixth Form was visited by one Evans.
He brought those four lines written on a paper for Morrison. Morrison was happy
to have those lines. He told Morrison that he had found the lines outside the
infirmary. Evans then left the infirmary after having got some apples from
Morrison.
On the
following Sunday, Smith came on a visit to Reynolds again. He asked him
if he had finished the poem. Reynolds has not finished it yet. He wanted only one
verse to be sent for the competition. Smith said that he would send only
one verse as rules did not stop him from doing so.
A letter
had just been received from Mr. Welles to the headmaster, Mr. James Percival. It was being read by Mrs. James
Percival. He had written from his
sick-bed. He stated that the poem by Rogers was a long way better than
others. The most interesting program was given by three comedians.
Each one of them had begun the poem with exactly same four lines. The
students had either colluded or they were trying to befool the Headmaster,
Reverend Jimmy Percival. The headmaster did not agree that he was being
befooled.
He had
called all the three boys who had similar answers. They were Smith,
Montgomery and Morrison after morning school. He asked three of them how it
was that each of their composition for the poetry prize commenced with the same
four lines. They admitted that none of them had written those four lines. It
was Reynolds who had done that. They also admitted that they did not do
so for the sake of a prize. They pursued the deception because rules
required that each one of them should sent in something. So Reynolds was
asked to write. The Headmaster at once realized that it was wrong to asked
an unpoetic person to write a poem. The three boys were left of.
At the next
Board Meeting it was decided to change the rules for the Sixth Form
poetry prize. From then onward, no one was required to compete for the
poetic competition unless he felt himself filled with the poetic fire.
2 Comments
Nice content 👍
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