11 MAY 1985, page 29

Song

'Because I'm almost as glad To be miserable as I am Unhappy to be sad,' Said the lone bird to the lamb, 'I'll attempt a song.' And the raven, On his worst day of despair, Cocked......

Not So Fast

Anthony Blond Love Lessons: A Wartime Diary Joan Wyndham (Heinemann £9.95) T do not envy the young their seemingly effortless sex lives, like power-steering and automatic drive.......

Starving Susan

Brandon Russell Out of Bounds Frances Hill (John Murray £8.95) O ut of curiosity, why would a woman who named her own child after a South American monkey (cf. the dedica- tion),......