Life, 1901-11-14 · page 8 of 20
Life — November 14, 1901 — page 8: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# "Declined With Thanks" - Life Magazine Satirical Poem This page presents a poem titled **"Declined With Thanks,"** which satirizes a poet's experience with rejection. The central verse mocks the emotional toll of submitting work to publishers—depicting the poet receiving polite rejections ("Respectfully declined / With thanks") that nonetheless sting his pride. The satire centers on the contrast between the publisher's courteous language and the poet's wounded feelings. The poem humorously notes that rejection becomes routine for struggling writers: "Full oft at peace with all the earth, / The bard awakes at morn," only to have his heart "filled with pained mirth" when rejection letters arrive with the postman. The page is surrounded by mock rejection letters and envelopes, visually reinforcing the poem's theme of persistent artistic rejection.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Vie bdston ef TRUTH red eacliped MS ts wet avsitatie lated to by2r trem you op3in «Declined With Thanks.” F all the woes a poct bears, (And they are not a few); Of all his troubles and his cares, His fits of feeling blue, The phrase, Respectfully declined With thanks,” beats all the pack, And he has trouble on his mind What time his stuff comes back. Ab, yes, there's trouble on his mind at few can understand, cept the fellows of his kind ‘ar-scattered through the land ; Trey know what fills his life with woe, ints the future black, fen felt just so When their own stufl came back. Full oft at peace with all the earth, ‘The bard awakes at morn His heart is filled with jocund tnirthy No grief he feels, or scorn ; But comes a ring, the postman’s there, With letter-laden pack, And, ob, the poet's deep despair! He gets his poems back. How proudly does he feel when he Has labored hard, and made Some verse for which he hopes to be Quite handsomely repaid How thrills he when he sends it off — But, bitter blow, alae How madly does he rail and seo When cat-like it comes back Orne ess E58 Pu le SMART SET 135 Dassen He reeres eset oe Adie comicbooks.com