{
 "id": "william-carlos-williams/the-delicacies",
 "title": "The Delicacies",
 "poet": "William Carlos Williams",
 "poet_slug": "william-carlos-williams",
 "language": "en",
 "book": "Sour Grapes: A Book of Poems",
 "book_slug": "sour-grapes",
 "book_kind": "volume",
 "sequence": 19,
 "container": null,
 "epigraph": null,
 "first_published": {
  "year": 1921,
  "venue": "Sour Grapes: A Book of Poems (1921)",
  "note": "First located printing is this volume; an earlier periodical printing has not been established.",
  "uncertain": false,
  "sources": [
   "https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/35667"
  ]
 },
 "source": {
  "kind": "standard-ebooks",
  "repo": "standardebooks/william-carlos-williams_poetry",
  "file": "poetry.xhtml",
  "upstream": [
   "https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/31878",
   "https://archive.org/details/temperscarlos00willrich",
   "https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/51997",
   "https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/006060238",
   "https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/35667",
   "https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/007676947"
  ],
  "rights": "public domain (SE dedication; underlying text pre-1931)"
 },
 "verification": {
  "level": "structural-only",
  "last_checked": "2026-08-12"
 },
 "stats": {
  "n_lines": 65,
  "n_stanzas": 11,
  "n_parts": 0,
  "longest_line_chars": 58,
  "max_indent": 1
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 "stanzas": [
  [
   {
    "text": "The hostess, in pink satin and blond hair⁠—dressed",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "high⁠—shone beautifully in her white slippers against",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "the great silent bald head of her little-eyed husband!",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Raising a glass of yellow Rhine wine in the narrow",
    "indent": 1
   },
   {
    "text": "space just beyond the light-varnished woodwork and",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "the decorative column between dining-room and hall,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "she smiled the smile of water tumbling from one ledge",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "to another.",
    "indent": 0
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "We began with a herring salad: delicately flavoured",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "saltiness in scallops of lettuce-leaves.",
    "indent": 0
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "The little owl-eyed and thick-set lady with masses",
    "indent": 1
   },
   {
    "text": "of grey hair has smooth pink cheeks without a wrinkle.",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "She cannot be the daughter of the little red-faced",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "fellow dancing about inviting lion-headed Wolff the",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "druggist to play the piano! But she is. Wolff is a",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "terrific smoker: if the telephone goes off at night⁠—so",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "his curled-haired wife whispers⁠—he rises from bed but",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "cannot answer till he has lighted a cigarette.",
    "indent": 0
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "Sherry wine in little conical glasses, dull brownish",
    "indent": 1
   },
   {
    "text": "yellow, and tomatoes stuffed with finely cut chicken",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "and mayonnaise!",
    "indent": 0
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "The tall Irishman in a Prince Albert and the usual",
    "indent": 1
   },
   {
    "text": "striped trousers is going to sing for us. (The piano",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "is in a little alcove with dark curtains.) The hostess’s",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "sister⁠—ten years younger than she⁠—in black net and",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "velvet, has hair like some filmy haystack, cloudy about",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "the eyes. She will play for her husband.",
    "indent": 0
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "My wife is young, yes she is young and pretty when",
    "indent": 1
   },
   {
    "text": "she cares to be⁠—when she is interested in a discussion:",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "it is the little dancing mayor’s wife telling her of the",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Day nursery in East Rutherford, ’cross the track,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "divided from us by the railroad⁠—and disputes as to",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "precedence. It is in this town the saloon flourishes,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "the saloon of my friend on the right whose wife has",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "twice offended with chance words. Her English is",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "atrocious! It is in this town that the saloon is situated,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "close to the railroad track, close as may be, this side",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "being dry, dry, dry: two people listening on opposite",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "sides of a wall!⁠—The Day Nursery had sixty-five",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "babies the week before last, so my wife’s eyes shine",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "and her cheeks are pink and I cannot see a blemish.",
    "indent": 0
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "Ice-cream in the shape of flowers and domestic",
    "indent": 1
   },
   {
    "text": "objects: a pipe for me since I do not smoke, a doll",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "for you.",
    "indent": 0
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "The figure of some great bulk of a woman disappearing",
    "indent": 1
   },
   {
    "text": "into the kitchen with a quick look over the",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "shoulder. My friend on the left who has spent the",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "whole day in a car the like of which some old fellow",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "would give to an actress: flower-holders, mirrors,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "curtains, plush seats⁠—my friend on the left who is",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "chairman of the Streets committee of the town council",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "—and who has spent the whole day studying automobile",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "fire-engines in neighbouring towns in view of",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "purchase⁠—my friend, at the Elks last week at the",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "breaking-up hymn, signalled for them to let Bill⁠—a",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "familiar friend of the saloon-keeper⁠—sing out all alone",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "to the organ⁠—and he did sing!",
    "indent": 0
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "Salz-rolls, exquisite! and Rhine wine ad libitum.",
    "indent": 1
   },
   {
    "text": "A masterly caviare sandwich.",
    "indent": 0
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "The children flitting about above stairs. The",
    "indent": 1
   },
   {
    "text": "councilman has just bought a National eight⁠—some",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "car!",
    "indent": 0
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "For heaven’s sake I mustn’t forget the halves of",
    "indent": 1
   },
   {
    "text": "green peppers stuffed with cream cheese and whole",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "walnuts!",
    "indent": 0
   }
  ]
 ]
}