EIGHTY AND THREE
by
Leslie James (1948)

I'm known to the king and the best of nobility,
I'm Jenkins, the butler-in service, you see,
And mine is a job that needs mental agility,
A happy possession, I'm sure you'll agree.
When announcing the gentry, I've just the right touch,
I remember their names and their titles and such.
And though I'm no chicken, I still have ability.
I've worked all my life, and I'm eighty and three!
I've always been one to appreciate quality,
A sense of good humour is vital to me;
I often join in with the innocent jollity
When ladies are taking their afternoon tea;
But the time I like best is when they start to dine,
For it's then I can get a good sniff of the wine!
Though the smell of a cork won't induce much frivolity
I still reach the cellar at eighty and three!
I've lived several years more than three score and ten.
And mingled and mixed with the wealthier men.
But the rich have their troubles, like you and like me,
When a friend is more comfort than wealth, don't you see?
So if I am spared, I shall be to the end,
None other than Jenkins-the butler-the friend.
My motto in life is the one word - 'civility,'
My humble success still depends on that key.
I've served with a joy never touched by humility.
And serving, I've known what true friendship can be.
In the problems of life I've been helped from the start,
Now I know you won't mind if I open my heart
But there's one Lord far greater than all the nobility,
And I'm still in His service at eighty and three.