A MONKEY-TRIBE that lately bred,
By some odd chance in Britain’s isle,
When comb’d and drest, and wash’d and fed,
With lap-dogs shar’d the fair-one’s smile.
And some of them, I must confess,
Were really handsome well-made brutes!
Were bon-vivants, could dance and dress,
Nay,-play on fiddles, hautboys, flutes!
And other tricks the creatures shew’d,
To raise our wonder and delight;
While some, with brighter parts endu’d,
‘Tis said, could even read and write.
Oh! had they shunn’d those dang’rous arts,
Nor e’er aspir’d to Wisdom’s prize,
They still had shar’d the softest hearts,
They still had charm’d the brightest eyes.
For then unseen by all the race,
Monboddo’s page had still remain’d;
Then had they ‘scap’d the dire disgrace,
Their philosophic toil has gain’d:
For there they read,-that human-kind,
Were monkeys once, with tails like theirs’
But getting somehow cropp’d behind,
Left worth and wisdom to their heirs.
“Ah! ha!-we’ve found the secret out,”
Exclaim’d an ape of parts acute,
“The sage has prov’d, beyond a doubt,
“That ’tis the tail which makes the brute.
“Let us no longer, then, endure
“The scorn that ‘waits our harmless clan,
“But cut our tails-and thus secure
“The rank and privilege of man!”
Each patriot bosom caught the flame
Ah, me! how many comely tails
Fell victims to the love of fame:
The Muse, with tears, their fate bewails.
For when the metamorphos’d crew
In Britain’s court again were seen,
Where eager for applause they flew,
They frighten’d our most gracious queen.
“Take, take away the brutes!” she cry’d,
“And never let me see them more,
“Till Hunter gets them stuff’d and dry’d,
“To grace his philosophic store.”
The royal pleasure soon was known,
And all the females in the land,
With one consent, agreed to frown
Upon the patriotic band.
So now they wander, all forlorn,
Sad outcasts from the fair and great;
With keen remorse each breast is torn-
But, ah! repentance comes too late.
(Maria Logan)
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Based on Topics: Love Poems, Man Poems, Sadness Poems, Fairness Poems, Kings & Queens Poems, Smiling Poems, Art Poems, Fame Poems, Secrets Poems, Doubt & Skepticism Poems, Confession PoemsBased on Keywords: scap, endu, fair-one, aspir, well-made, cropp, hautboys, lap-dogs, metamorphos, theirs, read-that