A. R. D. Fairburn's "Rhyme of the Dead Self" is a darkly comical tale of disillusionment. Fed up with his younger self's dreamy, romantic view of the world (which has only led to heartbreak), the speaker decides to throttle that poetic "lily-white lad" and be done with it. But even as the speaker triumphs over his former self's corpse, the poem suggests that there's something tragic in leaving one's youthful idealism behind. Fairburn first published this poem in his 1930 collection He Shall Not Rise.
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Tonight I have ...
... in his bed.
Then chuckling I ...
... what ruinous folly.
He is dead ...
... again for aye.
Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.
An Interview with Fairburn's Daughters — Listen to an interview in which Fairburn's daughters discuss his legacy.
Fairburn's Poetic Career — Read about Fairburn's development as an artist.
More Fairburn Resources — Read more of Fairburn's poetry and learn about his other artistic pursuits via the New Zealand Electronic Poetry Center.
A Brief Biography — Learn more about Fairburn's life and work.