"The Poet's Corner..."

Because I Liked You

Because I liked you better

     Than suits a man to say,

It irked you, and I promised

     To throw the thought away.

To put the world between us

     We parted, stiff and dry;

'Good-bye,' said you, 'forget me.'

     'I will, no fear', said I.

If here, where clover whitens

     The dead man's knoll, you pass,

And no tall flower to meet you

     Starts in the trefoiled grass,

Halt by the headstone naming

     The heart no longer stirred,

And say the lad that loved you

     Was one that kept his word.

A.E. Housman

Alfred Edward Housman was born in 1859; and in 1877, he attended St. John’s College where he forged a strong friendship with Moses Jackson. Housman loved him deeply, but it was not reciprocated as Jackson was heterosexual. The latter was uncomfortable with his friend’s declaration and their relationship became strained. Housman’s feelings never diminished, but to save their friendship, he buried his love for Jackson into his poems, immortalizing his affections. The times did not allow Housman to openly come out, so he channelled all his feelings into his poetry, namely "A Shropshire Lad" and "Because I Liked You Better."