Poem · Jonathan Swift

Advice to the Grub Street Verse-writers

“Advice to the Grub Street Verse-writers” by Jonathan Swift: full text of the poem (20 lines, 116 words). Public domain.

Ye poets ragged and forlorn,
Down from your garrets haste;
Ye rhymers, dead as soon as born,
Not yet consign'd to paste;
I know a trick to make you thrive;
O, 'tis a quaint device:
Your still-born poems shall revive,
And scorn to wrap up spice.
Get all your verses printed fair,
Then let them well be dried;
And Curll must have a special care
To leave the margin wide.

Lend these to paper-sparing Pope;
And when he sets to write,
No letter with an envelope
Could give him more delight.

When Pope has fill'd the margins round,
Why then recall your loan;
Sell them to Curll for fifty pound,
And swear they are your own.

Typesetting this poem in a book

Trim (11 pt)Characters per lineLongest line
5 x 8 in55 charactersFits
5.5 x 8.5 in Digest62 charactersFits
6 x 9 in US Trade67 charactersFits
7 x 10 in Executive81 charactersFits

Poetry should not wrap mid-line; if it must, indent the turnover. See the poetry collection guide.

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