Life, 1919-08-14 · page 9 of 44
Life — August 14, 1919 — page 9: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page features a poem by Richard Le Gallienne titled "The Last Refuge," depicting a speaker seeking solitude in a cave on a remote island to escape modern life's noise and chaos. The illustration shows a domestic interior scene with the caption: "He made violent love to you, didn't he?" / "Dear me, no! He only asked me to marry him." The humor appears satirical about romantic/marital proposals—suggesting that asking someone to marry represents an aggressive or presumptuous act. The contrast between "violent love" and a simple marriage proposal critiques either courtship conventions of the era or, possibly, changing attitudes toward what constitutes acceptable romantic behavior. The juxtaposition with the escapist poem suggests commentary on modern social complications driving people to seek refuge.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
BOUGHT a cave of late in a lone isle, With pillared domes of glittering sta- lagmite, Driven thereto, a lorn distracted wight, By men that earth and air and sea de- file, A being whom the vulgar times compel To be a troglodyte— Leaving the noise and glare of things behind. Che Last Refuge Dim corridors far down to Hades wind— Perchance some gleaming fairy folk from hell May come a-si ground, Naked as flowers, with silver asphodel And wreaths of laurel crowned, Lordly of limb and blinding fair of face, To banquet with me in that lonely place. ging up irom under- PAUL GOOLO There shall I sit and let the world go to, And sometimes, while yet sleeps the noisy crew, Ere the first airship blots the morning star, I shall steal softly up to my blue door, And gaze on my lost comrades from afar— Earth, sea and sky, once mine, but mine no more, Richard Le Gallienne. “HE MADE VIOLENT LOVE TO YOU, DIDN'T HE?” “DEAR ME, NO! HE ONLY ASKED ME TO MARRY HIM.” comicbooks.com