Following in the footsteps of Milton. With footnote. Do you like this?

Question

On the University Carrier (etc.)

Here lies old Hobson, Death hath broke his girt,

And here, alas, hath laid him in the dirt;

Or else, the ways being foul, twenty to one

He’s here stuck in a slough, and overthrown.

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His earthly journey hath run its full course

Cut short by putrid pestilence (or worse).

A curse on the plague which takes such as he

Yet renders the blackguard at liberty.

He was hurried to his untimely end

Perhaps his leisurely life to amend

(No-one ever espied his cart in haste

Nor saw him ever goodly food to waste).

He would recline full length upon his seat

His hat o’er his eyes, a dog at his feet.

His nag always knew which pathway to take

So Old Hobson had no need to awake.

No-one actually ever saw him move

His vital signs to passers-by to prove

From village to village he journeyed thus

From the age of twenty to fifty plus.

Answer 1

Milton was blind and his poor daughter had to write all of his work out for him. I have often wondered if the stuff he wrote was actually his or did she pass it off as his since women were not accepted as being skilled in the literary arts and she was afraid of owning up to the  possessing  of  talent and some courage as well.

... and now...

here you  come to prove that women can actually write like that!  How about a tale for Chaucer?

This   obit is a lot more  fun to read than Milton. .

Answer 2

Well penned.  Great meter and end rhyme.

Answer 3

A fantastic poem.  What more can I say?!

Answer 4

Like TD, you may have been born a few centuries too late.  Pity this kind of poetry is no longer in style.  The world is so much poorer now.

Answer 5

Very good poem, great history, fantastic, a pleasure to read your poem

Greetings