Fable

Ralph Waldo Emerson 1803 (Boston) – 1882 (Concord)



The mountain and the squirrel
Had a quarrel;
And the former called the latter "Little Prig."
Bun replied,
"You are doubtless very big;
But all sorts of things and weather
Must be taken in together
To make up a year
And a sphere.
And I think it's no disgrace
To occupy my place.
If I'm not so large as you,
You are not so small as I,
And not half so spry.
I'll not deny you make
A very pretty squirrel track;
Talents differ: all is well and wisely put;
If I cannot carry forests on my back,
Neither can you crack a nut."

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on May 03, 2023

32 sec read
338

Quick analysis:

Scheme AABCBDDEEFFGHHIJKJL
Closest metre Iambic trimeter
Characters 527
Words 108
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 19

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Ralph Waldo Emerson was an American essayist, lecturer, and poet, who led the Transcendentalist movement of the mid-19th century. more…

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