CHICKEN-SKIN, delicate, white,
Painted by Carlo Vanloo,
Loves in a riot of light,
Roses and vaporous blue;
Hark to the dainty frou-frou!
Picture above, if you can,
Eyes that could melt as the dew,-
This was the Pompadour’s fan!
See how they rise at the sight,
Thronging the CEil de Boeuf through,
Courtiers as butterflies bright,
Beauties that Fragonard drew,
Talon-rouge, falbala, queue,
Cardinal, Duke,-to a man,
Eager to sigh or to sue,-
This was the Pompadour’s fan!
Ah, but things more than polite
Hung on this toy, voyez-vous!
Matters of state and of might,
Things that great ministers do;
Things that, may be, overthrew
Those in whose brains they began;
Here was the sign and the cue,-
This was the Pompadour’s fan!
ENVOY
Where are the secrets it knew?
Weavings of plot and of plan?
-But where is the Pompadour, too?
This was the Pompadour’s Fan!
(Henry Austin Dobson)
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Based on Topics: Man Poems, Light Poems, Sense & Perception Poems, Secrets Poems, Sign & Symbol Poems, Planning PoemsBased on Keywords: overthrew, carlo, ceil, weavings, boeuf, pompadour, voyez-vous, fragonard, falbala