Come to the Peak ha ha! Poem | Gwulo: Old Hong Kong

Come to the Peak ha ha! Poem

Primary tabs

Submitted by Richard Muirhead on Wed, 2020-11-11 01:49

I wonder if anyone can tell me the author of the poem Come to the Peak ha! ha! apparently about the bird the francolin?And the title of any anthology it was published in?The poem was written around the time of World War 1. I have not been able to find out anything about it via Google.

Forum: 
General
Tags: 
Poetry
  • Log in or register to post comments

Submitted by Andrew on Fri, 2020-11-20 21:03.

That poem (Come to the Peak. Ha! Ha!) is reprinted in Paul Gillingham's At The Peak (Macmillan 1983), an account of expatriate life between the wars. Paul was a TVB news reader and also history teacher at the Island School (my brother and sister remember him being on the staff there). 

The poem is attributed to Robert Simpson in 1933, and At The Peak's bibliography lists the source as being: Simpson, R.K.M., Diversions, Hong Kong, The Hong Kong Daily Press, 1933.

I'll try and attach a photo of the whole poem, as it appears in the book. 
 

Andrew

Come-to-the-peak-ha-ha-Simpson-1933.jpeg
Come-to-the-peak-ha-ha-Simpson-1933.jpeg, by Andrew

 

Submitted by moddsey on Sat, 2020-11-21 08:20.

R. K. M. Simpson was a Professor of English and Dean of the Arts Faculty at the University of Hong Kong. When George Bernard Shaw visited Hong Kong in February 1933, Simpson accompanied "G. B. S." on a car ride around Hong Kong Island.

Submitted by Richard Muirhead on Thu, 2020-11-26 01:13.

Thanks very much Andrew and others for answering my query

Richard