Analysis of The Crane & The Fox, a Fable

Major Henry Livingston Jr. 1748 (Poughkeepsie, Province of New York) – 1828 (Poughkeepsie, New York)



In long gone years a fox and crane
Were bound in friendship's golden chain;
Whene'er they met, the fox would bow
And madame Crane would curtsie low-
-My lovely Crane how do you do?
-I'm very well - pray how are you?
Thus time passed on, both very civil
Till Reynard in an hour evil
Projected what he thought a stroke
The world would call a pretty joke -
A billet wrote on gilded paper
And sealed it with a perfumed wafer
Announced the day, if she saw fit
To take a tete-a-tetetit-bit;
The day arriv'd -she preen'd each feather
And summon'd ev'ry grace together;
At breakfast scarce a morsel eat
Intent to riot at the treat -

She came - wide stood the unfolded door
And roses deck'd the sanded floor -
- There hyacinths in festoons hung
- Here lillies their rich fragrance flung -

The table drawn - the damask laid
And soup prepared of bullock's marrow
Pour'd in each plate profuse - but shallow;
The fox began to lap in haste
And made a plentiful repast,
Pressed his fair friend to do the same
And to encourage, lap'd again -

The Crane be sure with her long beak
Could not a single morsel pick;
She felt the bite--but little said
And very soon her exit made,
Just beg'd the fox would come next day
And sup with her in her plain way;
Reynard declared she did him honor
-He certainly would wait upon her.

Her domicile was well prepar'd
No cost or labor had been spared;
Roses and tulips on the floor
And daffodils the ceiling bore;
Nor was a band of music wanting
For whippoorwills and frogs were chanting.
The sun had set and given way
To sober evening's mantle gray;
The fox arriv'd with stomach keen
-Hoped he saw in health his Queen
And added in his courtliest air
She ne'er before had look'd so fair.

The Crane replied in mildest mood
That all he said was very good,
She meekly meant to do her duty
And ne'er dream'd of praise or beauty.
-She spoke - The table soon was spread
And ev'rything in order paid;
Two narrow jars now graced the board
With nicely minced ven'son stored;
- Now let's fall to, sir, if you will--
And in she pok'd her slender bill
And gulp'd of viands at her leisure
- To see you eat would give me pleasure
She cried - eat, neighbor, eat
I fear you do not like my treat;
It suits my palate to a hair
Pray, Chummy, eat and do not spare.
- The fox looked on with rueful phys
Feeling in all its force the quiz.

The Crane enjoy'd his discontent
And thus address'd him as he went,
The truest adage ever spoke
Was "He that Gives must Take a joke."

H.L. to his beloved daughter Jane, Feb. 19, 1827.


Scheme AAXBCCDDEEFFGGFFHH IIJJ KBBXCXX XXLKMMFF NNIIOOMMPPQQ XXRRLKSSTTFFHHQQUU VVEE R
Poetic Form
Metre 01110101 0101101 1110111 0101111 11011111 11011111 111111010 110011010 01011101 01110101 010111010 011100110 01011111 1101011 010111110 01011010 11010101 01110101 111100101 01010101 1100011 1111101 01010101 010111010 101101110 01011101 0101001 11111101 01010101 01111011 11010101 11011101 01010101 11011111 01100011 100111110 110011010 011101 11110111 10010101 0100101 110111010 11001010 01110101 11010101 01011101 1110111 0100111 11011111 01010101 11111101 110111010 01111110 11010111 010101 11011101 110111 11111111 00110101 01111010 111111110 111101 11111111 11110101 11010111 01111101 10011101 01011001 01011111 01010101 11111101 11101101100
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 2,469
Words 487
Sentences 14
Stanzas 8
Stanza Lengths 18, 4, 7, 8, 12, 18, 4, 1
Lines Amount 72
Letters per line (avg) 27
Words per line (avg) 7
Letters per stanza (avg) 242
Words per stanza (avg) 60
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 27, 2023

2:33 min read
78

Major Henry Livingston Jr.

Henry Beekman Livingston Jr. has been proposed as being the uncredited author of the poem A Visit from St. Nicholas, more popularly known (after its first line) as The Night Before Christmas. more…

All Major Henry Livingston Jr. poems | Major Henry Livingston Jr. Books

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