A Modern Love Sung in Ancient Fashion

Historic Article

A Modern Love
Sung In Ancient Fashion
By Basil Webb
Outing And The Wheelman
March, 1884

O AM'ROUS bards of olden time,

Alcaeus thou, and though, sublime

Anacreon, and though, sweet maid,

Whose burning songs of love once played

Sad havoc with the hearts of men

In Lesbos, Sappho, though who then

Wert called "the sweetly-smiling," lend

Me somewhat of your grace. Befriend

My feeble muse; for I would sing

My love - slender, fair-formed thing,

With ev'ry charm and beauty graced,

As Helen fair, as Dian chaste,

Of look as bright as Venus. Still

With loving looks, nor speakes she e'er

One word of love. She has no care

That I be ever constant. Cold

She is, and passionless as gold

In form of goddess wrought. Yet, strange,

She does my will, nor dreams of change,

And faithful is and true as steel

Can be. My mistress is the wheel.

The Wheelman's Joy
Victorian Cycling Poetry and Words About Wheels

There is something inherently romantic about cycling, and there has been since the first riders set their wheels to the road. This collection of nineteenth-century poetry, prose quotes and bon-mots about cycling reflects both the ardent passion and the innocent affection cycling inspires. From the glory days of high-wheel cycling through the boom of the safety bicycle, riders were falling in love with their wheels, with new-found freedoms, and above all with each other. This delightful little collection tells of those days in their own words, and evokes sentiments which every cyclist will find timeless. Compiled edited and introduced by Sarah A. Chrisman, author of the charming Tales of Chetzemoka cycling club series, This Victorian Life, Victorian Secrets, and others.

An article about us in Bicycling magazine:
"How to Bike Like A Victorian"
http://www.bicycling.com/culture/people/old-doesn-t-mean-bad-modern-conversation-victorian-era-cyclists

A few of Sarah's accounts of our Victorian cycling adventures:

The flower fields of the Skagit Valley:
http://www.thisvictorianlife.com/blog/my-recent-trip-to-the-skagit-valley

A Trip to A Lavender Festival:
http://www.thisvictorianlife.com/blog/sneak-peek-into-a-future-book

The Tricycle's Maiden Voyage:
http://www.thisvictorianlife.com/blog/the-tricycles-maiden-voyage

The Chilly Hilly ride:
http://www.thisvictorianlife.com/blog/chilly-hilly

Port Townsend to Port Gamble:
http://www.thisvictorianlife.com/blog/port-gamble-wa

Sarah ALWAYS wears a corset—even while cycling. Here's an excerpt from her book about it:
http://www.thisvictorianlife.com/blog/cycling-in-a-corset-a-short-excerpt-from-victorian-secrets

Rebuttal of an erroneous article:
http://www.thisvictorianlife.com/blog/a-rebuttal-to-a-recent-article

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