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 study side,
At once began to bawl:
"God bless me! but the elephant Is nothing but 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 Insostan
Disputed loud and long,
Eachnin in his own opinion
Exceedignn stiff amd strpmng.,
Though each was partly in the right,
And all were in the wrong!
So, oft in theologic wars
The disputants.,I ween.
Rail on in utter ignorance
Of what each other mean.
Ad prate about a elephant
Not one of the has seen!
John Godfrey Saxe