Classic and Contemporary Poetry
THE SPIDER AND THE BEE (A TALE FOR THE TIMES), by LOUISA SARAH BEVINGTON Poet's Biography First Line: He had closed his volume of theorie Last Line: This story one tiny superfluous token. Alternate Author Name(s): Leigh, Arbor; Guggenberger, Mrs. Ignatz; Bevington, L. S. Subject(s): Bees; Insects; Philosophy & Philosophers; Spiders; Beekeeping; Bugs | ||||||||
He had closed his volume of theorie; He rose from his restful reverie -- "The world must be saved by sympathie." He wandered forth in the summery air Not much he knew of the stress of care And nothing at all of the thing -- Despair. Pain was "pain," and four letters long; And "force" five letters and always wrong; "Sympathy" said so 'twixt song and song. In a rose-bush a spider's net spied he, So neat, so clever, so orderlie; And, lo! in its meshes a honey-bee. The spider was large and her web was tough; She watched till the bee had struggled enough Before it was worth her while to be rough. But a hole in her institution, you see, Must never be made by struggles of bee; Oh, preposterous thought! Oh, catastrophe! So she rushed, and she clutched, and she bit, and she wove, As spiders will weave whose ancestors throve: And vainly the bee in its agony strove. And he who stood by felt his sympathie Enlisted for spider, enlisted for bee -- "I wish you may both -- survive" said he. O grand old Nature! who gives reward, And honey to busy bees doth afford, And honey and bee to the spider's hoard. Oh, poor bee! buzzing in vain, in vain, I sympathise, too, in your arduous strain! May bees of the future escape such pain! To free you by Force were a serious wrong, For spiders have lived in that way so long They "work" at their nets, so neat, so strong. Besides, Coercion! -- so wicked, you see! -- To compel that fat spider to set you free Were "in principle" evil, for you and for me. Be sure I am sorry; perhaps some day Spiders will cease to subsist on prey, Or honey-bees fly no more in their way. So the sun went down, and the spider fed On the agonised honey bee not yet dead; And sympathy sighed, and went home to bed. What of the tale? Well, it isn't exact; Yet it hints at an ugly and pitiful fact. "Philosophy" severing language from fact -- Sympathy's name is a shibboleth spoken; Dreams of web-spinners be speedily broken! -- This story one tiny superfluous token. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...THE EXHAUSTED BUG; FOR MY FATHER by ROBERT BLY PLASTIC BEATITUDE by LAURE-ANNE BOSSELAAR BEETLE LIGHT; FOR DANIEL HILLEN by MADELINE DEFREES CLEMATIS MONTANA by MADELINE DEFREES THOMAS MERTON AND THE WINTER MARSH by NORMAN DUBIE EGOISME A DEUX' by LOUISA SARAH BEVINGTON |
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