TIT FOR TAT.—A Tale.
A law there is of ancient fame,By Nature’s self in every land implanted,Lex Talionisis its Latin name;But if an English term we wanted,Give your next neighbour but a pat,He’ll give you back as good, and tell you—tit for tat.Thistit for tat, it seems, not men alone,But elephants, for legal justice own;In proof of this a story I shall tell ye,Imported from the famous town of Delhi.A mighty elephant that swell’d the stateOf Aurengzebe the Great,One day was taken by his driver,To drink and cool him in the river;The driver on his neck was seated,And, as he rode along,By some acquaintance in the throngWith a ripe cocoa-nut was treated.A cocoa-nut’s a pretty fruit enough,But guarded by a shell, both hard and tough.The fellow tried, and tried, and tried,Working and sweating,Pishing and fretting,To find out its inside,And pick the kernel for his eating.At length quite out of patience grown,“Who’ll reach me up,” he cries, “a stoneTo break this plaguy shell?But stay, I’ve here a solid boneMay do perhaps as well.”So half in earnest, half in jest,He bang’d it on the forehead of his beast.An elephant, they say has human feeling,And full as well as we he knowsThe difference between words and blows,Between horse-play and civil dealing.Use him but well, he’ll do his best,And serve you faithfully and truly;But insults unprovoked he can’t digest,He studies o’er them, and repays them duly.“To make my head an anvil, (thought the creature,)Was never, certainly, the will of Nature;So, master mine! you may repent;”Then, shaking his broad ears, away he went.The driver took him to the water,And thought no more about the matter:But elephant within his memory hid it;Hefeltthe wrong,—the other onlydidit.A week or two elapsed, one market-dayAgain the beast and driver took their way;Through rows of shops and booths they pass’dWith eatables and trinkets stored,Till to a gard’ner’s stall they came at last,Where cocoa-nuts lay piled upon the board,—“Ha!” thought the elephant, “’tis now my turnTo show this method of nut-breaking:My friend above will like to learn,Though at the cost of a head-aching.”Then in his curling trunk he took a heap,And waved it o’er his neck a sudden sweep,And on the hapless driver’s sconceHe laid a blow so hard and full,That crack’d the nuts at once,But with them crack’d his scull.Young folks whene’er you feel inclinedTo rompish sports and freedoms roughs,Beartit for tatin mind,Nor give an elephant a cuff,To be repaid in kind.
A law there is of ancient fame,By Nature’s self in every land implanted,Lex Talionisis its Latin name;But if an English term we wanted,Give your next neighbour but a pat,He’ll give you back as good, and tell you—tit for tat.Thistit for tat, it seems, not men alone,But elephants, for legal justice own;In proof of this a story I shall tell ye,Imported from the famous town of Delhi.A mighty elephant that swell’d the stateOf Aurengzebe the Great,One day was taken by his driver,To drink and cool him in the river;The driver on his neck was seated,And, as he rode along,By some acquaintance in the throngWith a ripe cocoa-nut was treated.A cocoa-nut’s a pretty fruit enough,But guarded by a shell, both hard and tough.The fellow tried, and tried, and tried,Working and sweating,Pishing and fretting,To find out its inside,And pick the kernel for his eating.At length quite out of patience grown,“Who’ll reach me up,” he cries, “a stoneTo break this plaguy shell?But stay, I’ve here a solid boneMay do perhaps as well.”So half in earnest, half in jest,He bang’d it on the forehead of his beast.An elephant, they say has human feeling,And full as well as we he knowsThe difference between words and blows,Between horse-play and civil dealing.Use him but well, he’ll do his best,And serve you faithfully and truly;But insults unprovoked he can’t digest,He studies o’er them, and repays them duly.“To make my head an anvil, (thought the creature,)Was never, certainly, the will of Nature;So, master mine! you may repent;”Then, shaking his broad ears, away he went.The driver took him to the water,And thought no more about the matter:But elephant within his memory hid it;Hefeltthe wrong,—the other onlydidit.A week or two elapsed, one market-dayAgain the beast and driver took their way;Through rows of shops and booths they pass’dWith eatables and trinkets stored,Till to a gard’ner’s stall they came at last,Where cocoa-nuts lay piled upon the board,—“Ha!” thought the elephant, “’tis now my turnTo show this method of nut-breaking:My friend above will like to learn,Though at the cost of a head-aching.”Then in his curling trunk he took a heap,And waved it o’er his neck a sudden sweep,And on the hapless driver’s sconceHe laid a blow so hard and full,That crack’d the nuts at once,But with them crack’d his scull.Young folks whene’er you feel inclinedTo rompish sports and freedoms roughs,Beartit for tatin mind,Nor give an elephant a cuff,To be repaid in kind.
A law there is of ancient fame,By Nature’s self in every land implanted,Lex Talionisis its Latin name;But if an English term we wanted,Give your next neighbour but a pat,He’ll give you back as good, and tell you—tit for tat.
A law there is of ancient fame,
By Nature’s self in every land implanted,
Lex Talionisis its Latin name;
But if an English term we wanted,
Give your next neighbour but a pat,
He’ll give you back as good, and tell you—tit for tat.
Thistit for tat, it seems, not men alone,But elephants, for legal justice own;In proof of this a story I shall tell ye,Imported from the famous town of Delhi.
Thistit for tat, it seems, not men alone,
But elephants, for legal justice own;
In proof of this a story I shall tell ye,
Imported from the famous town of Delhi.
A mighty elephant that swell’d the stateOf Aurengzebe the Great,One day was taken by his driver,To drink and cool him in the river;The driver on his neck was seated,And, as he rode along,By some acquaintance in the throngWith a ripe cocoa-nut was treated.
A mighty elephant that swell’d the state
Of Aurengzebe the Great,
One day was taken by his driver,
To drink and cool him in the river;
The driver on his neck was seated,
And, as he rode along,
By some acquaintance in the throng
With a ripe cocoa-nut was treated.
A cocoa-nut’s a pretty fruit enough,But guarded by a shell, both hard and tough.The fellow tried, and tried, and tried,Working and sweating,Pishing and fretting,To find out its inside,And pick the kernel for his eating.
A cocoa-nut’s a pretty fruit enough,
But guarded by a shell, both hard and tough.
The fellow tried, and tried, and tried,
Working and sweating,
Pishing and fretting,
To find out its inside,
And pick the kernel for his eating.
At length quite out of patience grown,“Who’ll reach me up,” he cries, “a stoneTo break this plaguy shell?But stay, I’ve here a solid boneMay do perhaps as well.”So half in earnest, half in jest,He bang’d it on the forehead of his beast.
At length quite out of patience grown,
“Who’ll reach me up,” he cries, “a stone
To break this plaguy shell?
But stay, I’ve here a solid bone
May do perhaps as well.”
So half in earnest, half in jest,
He bang’d it on the forehead of his beast.
An elephant, they say has human feeling,And full as well as we he knowsThe difference between words and blows,Between horse-play and civil dealing.Use him but well, he’ll do his best,And serve you faithfully and truly;But insults unprovoked he can’t digest,He studies o’er them, and repays them duly.
An elephant, they say has human feeling,
And full as well as we he knows
The difference between words and blows,
Between horse-play and civil dealing.
Use him but well, he’ll do his best,
And serve you faithfully and truly;
But insults unprovoked he can’t digest,
He studies o’er them, and repays them duly.
“To make my head an anvil, (thought the creature,)Was never, certainly, the will of Nature;So, master mine! you may repent;”Then, shaking his broad ears, away he went.The driver took him to the water,And thought no more about the matter:But elephant within his memory hid it;Hefeltthe wrong,—the other onlydidit.
“To make my head an anvil, (thought the creature,)
Was never, certainly, the will of Nature;
So, master mine! you may repent;”
Then, shaking his broad ears, away he went.
The driver took him to the water,
And thought no more about the matter:
But elephant within his memory hid it;
Hefeltthe wrong,—the other onlydidit.
A week or two elapsed, one market-dayAgain the beast and driver took their way;Through rows of shops and booths they pass’dWith eatables and trinkets stored,Till to a gard’ner’s stall they came at last,Where cocoa-nuts lay piled upon the board,—“Ha!” thought the elephant, “’tis now my turnTo show this method of nut-breaking:My friend above will like to learn,Though at the cost of a head-aching.”
A week or two elapsed, one market-day
Again the beast and driver took their way;
Through rows of shops and booths they pass’d
With eatables and trinkets stored,
Till to a gard’ner’s stall they came at last,
Where cocoa-nuts lay piled upon the board,—
“Ha!” thought the elephant, “’tis now my turn
To show this method of nut-breaking:
My friend above will like to learn,
Though at the cost of a head-aching.”
Then in his curling trunk he took a heap,And waved it o’er his neck a sudden sweep,And on the hapless driver’s sconceHe laid a blow so hard and full,That crack’d the nuts at once,But with them crack’d his scull.
Then in his curling trunk he took a heap,
And waved it o’er his neck a sudden sweep,
And on the hapless driver’s sconce
He laid a blow so hard and full,
That crack’d the nuts at once,
But with them crack’d his scull.
Young folks whene’er you feel inclinedTo rompish sports and freedoms roughs,Beartit for tatin mind,Nor give an elephant a cuff,To be repaid in kind.
Young folks whene’er you feel inclined
To rompish sports and freedoms roughs,
Beartit for tatin mind,
Nor give an elephant a cuff,
To be repaid in kind.