Asquith, Herbert Ashley

(1881-1947)

   Herbert Asquith was the second son of the first Earl of Oxford and Asquith, Herbert Henry Asquith, British prime minister (1908-1916), and often times people would get them confused with each other. Asquith was a poet, novelist and lawyer. He married his wife, Cynthia, also a writer, in 1910. Asquith served as a captain in the Royal Artillery in France during World War I. Some of his poems: "A Ship Sails Up to Bideford," "Birthday Gifts," "The Elephant," "In Praise of Young Girls," "Nightfall," "Skating," "The Mare," "The Volunteer." "The Hairy Dog," although written about a shaggy dog, can also be viewed as an analogy to humans. The dog's ears and eyes are buried beneath layers of hair and seldom are seen, yet there is beauty if only we could look beneath the surface.

   Sources: Oldpoetry (www.oldpoetry.com). The Columbia Granger's Index to Poetry. 11th ed. The Columbia Granger's World of Poetry. Columbia University Press, 2005 (http://www.columbiagrangers.org).