
In looking for a work she’s never read –
a book that’s also cinema-conveyed –
I offered Fielding’s best to her, instead
of any other plot that’s been screen-played.
And now she’s halfway in, with tickled head,
and I’m a little jealous. I won’t trade
my having read Tom Jones, but it’s a pity
I can’t find many other books as witty.
(Ottava Rima)