Possible Clues:

• A bit of poetry's deliberately weird
• Corrupt
• Unreasonable way to pay the bard?
• It's deliberately obstinate for retiring Congressman briefly to say the lines
• Unreasonable in each lyric
• Deliberately departing from what is reasonable
• Cantankerous salesman's taken up poetry
• Unreasonable for each to introduce part of chapter
• It's difficult for retiring Congressman briefly to say the lines
• Wilful agent sent back poetry