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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, “Ho! what have we here
So very round and smooth and sharp?
To me ’tis mighty 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 and spake:
“I see,” quoth he, “the elephant
Is very like a snake!”
The fourth reached out his eager hand,
And felt about the knee.
“What most this wondrous beast is like
Is mighty plain,” quoth he;
“’Tis 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!
( John Godfrey Saxe )
John Godfrey Saxe (1816-1887), an American poet, was born in Vermont. He is best known by his humorous poems, of which “The Blind Men and the Elephant” is most widely read.
observation : to look closely at something
bawl : yell loudly
resembles : looks similar to
Answer the following questions.
1) How could the blind men see the elephant?
2) To what did each compare the elephant?
3) Explain each comparison that was made.
4) Why is a comparison a common way of describing objects?
5) Why were all the blind men “in the wrong”?
6) How much was each man “in the right”?