Great Regulars: The boy grows up an orphan

([John] Gay himself had been orphaned at the age of 10), but the goddess offers him protection, and in this part of the tale she guides him to the trade that will allow him to survive, cleaning the grime from the fashionable boots of a city thriving on wastefulness and grubby politics. Gay's descriptive art is never in doubt, but here, in the second section, Cloacina's materialisation allows the poet to take off on a particularly enjoyable flight of fantasy.

Trivia, from Book II: Of Walking the Streets by Day

from Carol Rumens: The Guardian: Books blog: Poem of the week

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