Elephant Poems

Table of Contents

When you have got an elephant by the hind leg, and he is trying to run away, it's best to let him run.

– Abraham Lincoln

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1. The Elephant

   by Annette Wynne

   
   

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   The elephant is very large
   And clumsy as a wooden barge,
   With legs like tree-trunks, yet he's mild
   And gentle as a little child.
   

   The elephant walks far away
   And sees strange children in their play,
   And carries logs and iron bars
   As easily as motor-cars.
   

   The elephant's a great big beast—
   Not beautiful, but good, at least,
   Strong as a tree, but withal mild
   And gentle as a little child.
   

2. The Elephant

   by Anonymous

   The elephant walks like this and like that.
   He's very tall, and he's very fat.
   He has no fingers, but he does have toes,
   And goodness gracious, what a nose!
   

3. The Extraordinary Elephant

   by Anonymous

   The extraordinary elephant climbed on the trapeze
   And hung there by his knees
   In a manner sure to please,
   While a wondering crowd gathered about.
   The monkey, when he heard their admiring shout,
   Upon a high trapeze,
   With the very greatest ease,
   Hanging by his tail, whirled around and in and out.
   But in vain is all his skill, for the wise crowd only sees
   The extraordinary elephant hanging hy his knees.

4. The Blind Men and the Elephant

   John Godfrey Saxe

   
   

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   It was six men of Indostan,
   To learning much inclined,
   Who went to see the elephant,
   (Though all of them were blind,)
   That each by observation
   Might satisfy his mind.
   

   The first approached the elephant,
   And, happening to fall
   Against his broad and sturdy side,
   At once began to bawl:
   "God bless me! but the elephant
   Is very like a wall!"
   

   The second, feeling of the tusk,
   Cried: "Ha! what have we here,
   So very round, and smooth, and sharp?
   To me 't is very clear,
   This wonder of an elephant
   Is very like a spear!"
   

   The third approached the animal,
   And, happening to take
   The squirming trunk within his hands,
   Thus boldly up he spake:
   "I see," quoth he, "the elephant
   Is very like a snake!"
   

   The fourth reached out his eager hand,
   And fell about the knee:
   "What most this wondrous beast is like,
   Is very plain," quoth he;
   "'T is clear enough the elephant
   Is very like a tree!"
   

   The fifth, who chanced to touch the ear,
   Said: "E'en the blindest man
   Can tell what this resembles most:
   Deny the fact who can,
   This marvel of an elephant
   Is very like a fan!"
   

   The sixth no sooner had begun
   About the beast to grope,
   Than, seizing on the swinging tail
   That fell within his scope,
   "I see," quoth he, "the elephant
   Is very like a rope!"
   

   And so these men of Indostan
   Disputed loud and long,
   Each in his own opinion
   Exceeding stiff and strong,
   Though each was partly in the right,
   And all were in the wrong!
   

5. The Partners

   by Anonymous

   Said the Puppy to the Elephant: "Let's form a partnership,
   And let us tour the country in a profitable trip.
   For you and I together could prodigies perform,
   And gather crowds of people and take them quite by storm,
   For you could lift a mighty weight, and I could push below.
   While all the crowd would hold their breath, and then they'd all say "Oh!"
   And then they all would wave their flags and clap their hands and laugh,
   Then you and I'd divide the cash, and I would give you half.
   Our fortunes would he surely made, an overflowing cup.
   If you would only lift the weights, while I would push them up."

6. Tiger and Elephant

   by James McIntyre

   
   

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   On Ganges banks roams the tiger,
   And lion rules by the Niger,
   Hunter heard shrill cry of peacocks,
   In Indian jungles go in flocks.
   

   And he saw tiger crouch and spring,
   To crush a bird with beauteous wing,
   But the tiger missed his aim,
   And he hung his head with shame.
   

   Then there came a mighty crush,
   Of elephants rush through the bush,
   The tiger cat-like crouched on ground,
   And elephants rushed in with bound.
   

   In front was baby elephant,
   To crush its bones did tiger want,
   But mother saw fierce forest ranger,
   And she gave a cry of danger.
   

   Leader of herd he madly rushed,
   Resolved the tiger should be crushed,
   But tiger strove to run away,
   Willing to relinquish prey.
   

   But when he found that he must fight,
   On elephant's back he strove to light,
   But elephant struck him with his foot,
   And then with tusks he did him root.
   

   So now once more must praise be sung;
   To beasts who nobly fight for young,
   And grateful feelings were now stirred,
   Towards the leader of the herd.
   

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