Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, THE STRAY CAMEL; AN ARABIAN TALE, by JOHN GODFREY SAXE


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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

THE STRAY CAMEL; AN ARABIAN TALE, by                     Poet's Biography
First Line: A camel-driver, who had lost
Last Line: "at times from being overwise!"
Subject(s): Camels


A CAMEL-DRIVER, who had lost
His camel, chancing to accost
A wandering Arab in the way,
Said, "Sir! my beast has gone astray;
And went, I think, the road you came."
"Pray," said the stranger, "was he lame?"
"He was, indeed!" was the reply.
"And, tell me, had he lost an eye?"
"'T is even so!" "And one front tooth?"
"In faith! -- you speak the simple truth!"
"And, for his load, was there a sack
Of honey on the camel's back?"
"There was, indeed! -- now tell me, pray
Of course he can't be far away),
Just when and where the brute you passed;
And was he going slow or fast?"
"Faith!" said the stranger, "on my word,
I know no more than I have heard
From your own lips! Nor in my way
Have I observed, for many a day,
A camel like the one you claim;
I swear it, in the Prophet's name!"
The camel-driver all in vain
Besought the Arab to explain;
He still insisted, as before,
That of the beast he knew no more
Than from the owner he had heard.
Whereat the camel-driver, stirred
With wrath, expressed his firm belief
This knowing Arab was a thief;
Then to the Cadi off he went,
And told the tale. His Honor sent,
And brought the stranger into court.
"You hear this worthy man's report,"
The Cadi said, "of what occurred;
And still you answer not a word,
Save that his beast you never saw.
Allah is great! and law is law!
How know you, then, that he was lame?"
"By this, -- that where the camel came,
Upon the sand one footprint lagged,
Which showed one foot the camel dragged."
"'T is well explained; now tell me why
You said the camel lacked an eye?
And from his jaw one tooth had lost?"
"By this, -- that nowhere had he crossed
The road to browse the other side;
And, furthermore, I plainly spied
Where'er his teeth had chanced to pass,
A narrow line of standing grass,
Which showed, as clear as truth is truth,
The camel had one missing tooth!"
"And how about the honey?" "Well, --
It surely was n't hard to tell
The nature of the camel's load,
When, gathered all along the road,
A thousand bees" -- "There, that will do,"
The Cadi said; "the case is through
And you're discharged! But let me hint
(A lesson plain as any print),
A deal of trouble may arise
At times from being overwise!"





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