The Mouse That Gnawed The Oak-Tree Down
Vachel Lindsay 1879 (Springfield) – 1931 (Springfield)
The mouse that gnawed the oak-tree down
Began his task in early life.
He kept so busy with his teeth
He had no time to take a wife.
He gnawed and gnawed through sun and rain
When the ambitious fit was on,
Then rested in the sawdust till
A month of idleness had gone.
He did not move about to hunt
The coteries of mousie-men.
He was a snail-paced, stupid thing
Until he cared to gnaw again.
The mouse that gnawed the oak-tree down,
When that tough foe was at his feet—
Found in the stump no angel-cake
Nor buttered bread, nor cheese, nor meat—
The forest-roof let in the sky.
“This light is worth the work,” said he.
“I’ll make this ancient swamp more light,”
And started on another tree.
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 40 sec read
- 162 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | Abxb xxxx xcxc Adxdxexe |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 690 |
Words | 135 |
Stanzas | 4 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 4, 4, 8 |
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"The Mouse That Gnawed The Oak-Tree Down" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 6 Jun 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/37385/the-mouse-that-gnawed-the-oak-tree-down>.
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