The Wrangler
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe 1749 (Frankfurt) – 1832 (Weimar)
ONE day a shameless and impudent wight
Went into a shop full of steel wares bright,
Arranged with art upon ev'ry shelf.
He fancied they were all meant for himself;
And so, while the patient owner stood by,
The shining goods needs must handle and try,
And valued,--for how should a fool better know?--
The bad things high, and the good ones low,
And all with an easy self-satisfied face;
Then, having bought nothing, he left the place.
The tradesman now felt sorely vex'd,
So when the fellow went there next,
A lock of steel made quite red hot.
The other cried upon the spot:
"Such wares as these, who'd ever buy?
the steel is tarnish'd shamefully,"--
Then pull'd it, like a fool about,
But soon set up a piteous shout.
"Pray what's the matter?" the shopman spoke;
The other scream'd: "Faith, a very cool joke!"
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 47 sec read
- 136 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | AABBCCDDEE FFGGCXHHII |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 799 |
Words | 153 |
Stanzas | 2 |
Stanza Lengths | 10, 10 |
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"The Wrangler" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 25 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/21888/the-wrangler>.
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