Placid Pug, and Other Rhymes

Lord Alfred Douglas, better known as the poet Bosie to literary history, turns his pen to something delightfully frivolous: ten verses devoted to the art of being amusing. The title poem contemplates a pug of supreme tranquility with the kind of mock-seriousness that Victorian light verse perfected. These are poems written to raise a smile, not to wrestle with angels. Douglas, who spent much of his life entangled in the glittering wreckage of the aesthetic movement, here offers pure entertainment: wordplay, gentle absurdity, and the occasional sharp wit. Whether the pug remains placid throughout, and what other creatures or subjects fall under Douglas's mischievous gaze, is part of the small pleasure this collection promises. For readers who want their poetry served with a twinkle rather than a frown.