Written upon the Occasion of Drinking a Magnum of Château Lafite Rothschild, 1949, presented by W. N. Roughead Esquire

Our old friend Mr. Roughead has kindly allowed us to reprint the “Squib” which was sent to him some years ago by the late Mr. Cecil Day-Lewis in celebration of a Magnum of Claret supplied for their Christmas Dinner. We scarcely expected that a Poet Laureate would be one of our contributors but we are delighted to be able to include these lines.

After your Magnum of Château Lafite

We are still (but only just) on our feet.

Oh! What a feat to stay on one’s feet

After a Magnum of Château Lafite.

For Christmas, I’d much rather have a Magnum

Of Château Lafite than a large box of Sphagnum

Moss, or all the Girl Pipers of Dagenham.

(“I think there’s another glass left in the bottle” –

“After you”. “After you.” “I insist”. “Well, this lot’ll

Make Christmas 1957 immottle.”)…..

Thish Crismush eshepsional, shinsh our Shain Nicholush

Shent a great bol of Lafite to pickleush.

Cecil Day-Lewis, Christmas 1957