The Blind Men And The Elephant

John Godfrey Saxe 1816 (Highgate) – 1887



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 the tusk,
Cried, "Ho! what have we here
So very round and smooth and sharp?
To me 'tis 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 an eager hand,
And felt about the knee:
"What most the wondrous beast is like
Is very plain," quoth he;
"Tis clear enough the Elephant
Is very like a tree!"

The Fifth, who chanced to touch the ear,
Said, "Even 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
Then, 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,
They all were in the wrong!

So, oft in theologic wars
The disputants, I ween,
Rail on in utter ignorance
Of what each other mean,
And prate about an Elephant
Not one of them has seen!

About this poem

This poem is a rhymed re-telling of the classic Hindu fable. The "moral" of the story is revealed in the last stanza, which commonly is omitted in recitation, so not to offend the sensibilities of self-righteous and willfully ignorant religious folk.

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Submitted on June 02, 2021

Modified on May 03, 2023

1:31 min read
4,898

Quick analysis:

Scheme abcbab cdxdcd xexfcf xgxgCg xaxhch eaxaca aixiCi ajajxj xaxaca
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 1,565
Words 306
Stanzas 9
Stanza Lengths 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6

John Godfrey Saxe

John Godfrey Saxe I was an American poet best known for his re-telling of the Indian parable "The Blind Men and the Elephant", which introduced the story to a Western audience. more…

All John Godfrey Saxe poems | John Godfrey Saxe Books

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