[Editor: This poem was published in The Sydney Gazette, and New South Wales Advertiser (Sydney, NSW), 6 July 1806.]
A Fable.
The Pig and the Neck Yoke.
A pig, condemn’d to wear an irksome yoke,
Some short time since a Gard’ner thus bespoke:
‘Good morrow neighbour — surely ’tis decreed,
‘That, to thy wish, thy labours should succeed:–
‘What charming cabbages! I hope no harm
‘To praise what Nature has design’d to charm?
‘What lettuces! — but distant I’m content
‘To view the dainties in your paling pent.
‘With what delight, Sir, do I contemplate
‘Those pregnant peas, whose sweet, luxuriant state
‘Might well provoke, in less considerate swine,
‘Ideas very different to mine:
‘Then would the works of nature and thy taste
‘Be rudely metamorphos’d to a waste;
‘Thy skilful labours to no purpose tend,
‘But all thy toils in disappointment end!
‘While I, by secret admiration led,
‘With Phœbus rising, hither pensive tread,
‘To greet with grateful smile each dew-bespangled bed.
‘Assail’d anon by Sol’s meridian beam,
‘They languish, and I seek the miry stream
‘Till courteous eve, affording genial showers,
‘Shall renovate their vegetative powers;
‘Then, once more sating my delighted eye,
‘Blest with content I seek my lonely stye,
‘Void of Ambition, Envy I disclaim,
‘’Tis man’s peculiar right, his ruling flame;
‘But that my Honesty will stand the test,
‘Your verdant dainties will acknowledge best.’
The man in justice could at least confess
The pig had qualities few men possess;
Forebearance, Temperance alike preferr’d
A claim to pity and a just reward.
For sore precarious he prov’d no more;
The terrors of uncertainty were o’er:
Autumn’s sun thenceforth became his Friend,
And in profusion all his hardships end.
The Neck-yoke, now, who’d long insulted been,
In candid phrase unbosom’d its chagrin:‐‐
“You must remember friend, or I’m mistaken,
“How oft thy friendly yoke hath saved thy bacon;
“How difficult I’ve found it to restrain
“Th’ imperious impulse of thy turgid brain.
“If reformation now you fortunes raise,
“Thine be the profit, but be mine the Praise.
“You boast of Honesty … What impudence!
“Was it not I that spar’d the poor Man’s Fence?
“That ev’ry graceless action did oppose,
“And sav’d you from an injur’d Gard’ner’s blows?
“Ingratitude, Hypocrisy I find,
“Are not inherent only to Mankind,
“Whose lordly faculties, when once suspended,
“Leave but the semblance of the Thing intended:
“Reason’s his Yoke, deny the fact who can;
“And I to thee what Reason is to Man.”
Source:
The Sydney Gazette, and New South Wales Advertiser (Sydney, NSW), 6 July 1806, p. 2
Editor’s notes:
On the AustLit site, the authorship of this poem has been attributed to George Howe, the editor of The Sydney Gazette.
See: “George Howe”, AustLit
A scan of better quality, of this poem, is hosted on the Hathi Trust site [see entry entitled: The Sydney gazette and New South Wales advertiser v.4-5 Mar.16,1806-Aug.30,1807]
anon = at another time, later (can also mean: soon, shortly)
assail’d = (vernacular) assailed
bespangle = to adorn or cover something with spangles, jewels, or other shiny decorations or objects; to adorn something with decorations which have the appearance of spangles, jewels, etc. [see: spangles]
bespangled = past tense of “bespangle” [see: bespangle]
blest = (archaic) blessed
condemn’d = (vernacular) condemned
dainties = delicious or tasty food (e.g. a dainty morsel, Christmas dainties), usually with a sugary or sweet taste; can also refer to: women’s undergarments, women’s underwear
design’d = (vernacular) designed
disclaim = deny, disavow, disown, reject, refuse, repudiate; to relinquish a claim; to renounce or repudiate a claim; to deny having a claim; to disavow or reject someone else’s claim
ev’ry = (vernacular) every
Gard’ner = (vernacular) Gardener
Good morrow = (archaic) good morning (usually used as a greeting, e.g. “Good morrow to you”)
hath = (archaic) has
hither = here (e.g. “come hither”); to or toward a place; near, on this side
injur’d = (vernacular) injured
metamorphose = to change or transform the appearance or form of something, so that it looks completely or significantly different; to change or transform the nature of something, so that it acts completely or significantly different; to undergo a change or transform; to undergo metamorphosis
metamorphos’d = (vernacular) metamorphosed
o’er = (archaic) over (pronounced the same as “oar”, “or”, and “ore”)
oft = (archaic) often
paling = (also known as a “pale”) a wooden post, stake, stick, or strip (often flat with a pointed top) which is used to make a fence (such a fence being referred to as a paling fence or a picket fence)
pent = penned in, confined to an area; repressed, pent up (repressing, suppressing, or not expressing, especially regarding emotions or emotional impulses)
Phœbus = the sun; a reference to Phoebus (also known as Apollo) who, in Greek mythology, was the god of light (amongst other things) and in literature was often identified with the sun
preferr’d = (vernacular) preferred
prov’d = (vernacular) proved
sating = (archaic) satisfying; past tense of “sate” (satisfy, especially to satisfy an appetite; to provide or supply beyond capacity; to provide or supply more than is needed or desired)
sav’d = (vernacular) saved
Sol = the Sun; in Roman mythology, Sol was god of the Sun; in Norse mythology, Sól was goddess of the Sun
spangle = a small glittering or shiny decoration, particle, or object; a small thin flat piece of thin glittering or shiny material (often metal or plastic; often made in a circular or star shape), especially used in large numbers to decorate clothing, fabric, or hair; a sequin; to decorate something with spangles, to bespangle
spangles = plural of “spangle” [see: spangle]
spar’d = (vernacular) spared
stye = an archaic spelling of “sty” (an enclosure or pen for pigs), also rendered as pigstye (also spelt: pig stye, pig-stye) (modern spelling: pig sty, pigsty), pigpen (also spelt: pig pen, pig-pen); can also refer to: an area or place which is very dirty, messy, or morally debauched
th’ = (vernacular) the
thee = (archaic) you (regarding a person as the object in a sentence)
thine = (archaic) yours (“thine”, meaning “yours”, is the more common usage); your (“thine”, meaning “your”, is usually placed before a word which begins with a vowel or a vowel sound, e.g. “To thine own self be true”)
thy = (archaic) your
’tis = (archaic) a contraction of “it is”
unbosom = to get a weight off one’s chest (or bosom), i.e. to tell someone about your anxieties, concerns, emotions, feelings, secrets, thoughts, or worries, thereby getting some emotional or psycholological relief (by unburdening one’s mind), especially to do so in a confidential manner; (archaic) to admit to or confess a misdeed
unbosom’d = (vernacular) unbosomed [see: unbosom]
unbosomed = past tense of “unbosom” [see: unbosom]
verdant = countryside covered with lush green grass and/or other plant life; covered with green and lush grass and other vegetation; can also refer to the colour green, or to someone who is “green” (i.e. lacking experience, judgment, or sophistication)
[Editor: Changed “brain” to “brain.” (added a full stop). Added a closing double quotation mark after “is to Man.” (at the end of the last line). Removed single quotation mark from before “succeed” and “charm”.]
[Editor: The quotation marks within a quotation (placed at the start of each typographical line, as a matter of publishing style) have been removed.]
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