The Inn of Care by Samuel Waddington. Edmund Clarence Stedman, ed. 1895. A Victorian Anthology, 1837-1895

Edmund Clarence Stedman, ed. (1833–1908). A Victorian Anthology, 1837–1895. 1895.

The Inn of Care

Samuel Waddington (b. 1844)


AT Nebra, by the Unstrut,—
So travellers declare,—
There stands an ancient tavern,
It is the “Inn of Care.”
To all the world ’t is open;	5
It sets a goodly fare;
And every soul is welcome
That deigns to sojourn there.

The landlord with his helpers,
(He is a stalwart host),	10
To please his guest still labors
With “bouilli” and with “roast;”
And ho! he laughs so roundly,
He laughs, and loves to boast
That he who bears the beaker	15
May live to share the “toast.”

Lucus a non lucendo—
Thus named might seem the inn,
So careless is its laughter,
So loud its merry din;	20
Yet ere to doubt its title
You do, in sooth, begin,
Go, watch the pallid faces
Approach and pass within.

To Nebra, by the Unstrut,	25
May all the world repair,
And meet a hearty welcome,
And share a goodly fare;
The world! ’t is worn and weary—
’T is tir’d of gilt and glare;	30
The inn! ’t is nam’d full wisely,
It is the “Inn of Care.”