Classic Poem

They made me a director,
I dreamt it in a dream;
I was a print collector
And owned a salmon stream.

They made me a director
Of companies one or two;
I did not fear the spectre
Of Nemesis — would you?

They made me a director
Of companies two or three;
I bought myself a sector
Of Sussex, near the sea.

They made me a director
Of companies three or four;
I had a man named Hector
To answer the front-door.

They made me a director
Of companies four or five;
The beams of my reflector
Lit up the laurelled drive.

They made me a director
Of companies five or six;
I was a stern protector
Of meal-fed pheasant chicks.

They made me a director
Of companies six or seven
No shareholding objector
Opposed my path to heaven.

They made me a director
Of companies seven or eight;
The income-tax collector
Knelt down before my gate.

They made me a director
Of companies eight or nine;
I drank the golden nectar
And had no other wine.

They made me a director
Of companies nine or ten —


" Hullo, police-inspector!
Good morning, plain-clothes men!"