The Calf-Path
Sam Foss (1890)
One day, through the primeval wood,
A calf walked home, as good calves should;
But made a trail all bent askew,
A crooked trail as all calves do.
Since then two hundred years have fled,
And, I infer, the calf is dead.
But still he left behind his trail,
And thereby hangs my moral tale.
The trail was taken up next day
By a lone dog that passed that way;
And then a wise bell-wether sheep
Pursued the trail o’er vale and steep,
And drew the flock behind him, too,
As good bell-wethers always do.
And from that day, o’er hill and glade,
Through those old woods a path was made;
And many men wound in and out,
And dodged, and turned, and bent about
And uttered words of righteous wrath
Because ‘twas such a crooked path.
But still they followed — do not laugh —
The first migrations of that calf,
And through this winding wood-way stalked,
Because he wobbled when he walked.
This forest path became a lane,
That bent, and turned, and turned again;
This crooked lane became a road,
Where many a poor horse with his load
Toiled on beneath the burning sun,
And traveled some three miles in one.
And thus a century and a half
They trod the footsteps of that calf.
The years passed on in swiftness fleet,
The road became a village street,
And this, before men were aware,
A city’s crowded thoroughfare;
And soon the central street was this
Of a renowned metropolis;
And men two centuries and a half
Trod in the footsteps of that calf.
Each day a hundred thousand rout
Followed the zigzag calf about;
And o’er his crooked journey went
The traffic of a continent.
A hundred thousand men were led
By one calf near three centuries dead.
They followed still his crooked way,
And lost one hundred years a day;
For thus such reverence is lent
To well-established precedent.
A moral lesson this might teach,
Were I ordained and called to preach;
For men are prone to go it blind
Along the calf-paths of the mind,
And work away from sun to sun
To do what other men have done.
They follow in the beaten track,
And out and in, and forth and back,
And still their devious course pursue,
To keep the path that others do.
But how the wise old wood-gods laugh,
Who saw the first primeval calf!
Ah! many things this tale might teach —
But I am not ordained to preach.
I can’t help but think of recent events, and I fear too many of us follow blindly. Getting off the calf’s path requires us to think differently and to trust our instincts.
Extremely wise … and I love that Emerson quote at the end.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, I am glad you liked it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I like it very much indeed.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Lovely poem and with an underlying message.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Dear Bridget,
How lovely to catch up to you in another spot. 😉 Love the poem that says so much. Thank you for sharing it.
Shalom,
Rochelle
LikeLike
I want to write a long comment, but I’m back to one-handed typing … so, i’m just going to say “amen”.
LikeLiked by 1 person
What happened. How come you are one-handed?
LikeLike
oh – I guess I need to write an update.
My collarbone wasn’t healing, so after 5 months the surgeon FINALLY decided to reset the bone and put in a plate. I had “emergency” surgery on Monday and I’m in a sling for a few weeks.
As blog posts back up in my mailbox (I think I’m around 400 now 😦 ) I’m trying to spend time on the computer, but it’s brutal. A fuzzy head combined with one finger typing makes me queasy.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh, no. I am so sorry to hear that. I hope you will have a speedy recovery. Don’t spend time on the computer, get comfortable and rest a bit.
LikeLike
thanks 🙂
I’m just about ready for a nap.
LikeLiked by 1 person
A great poem and parable. I hadn’t heard that poem before. A good reason to at least glance down the road less traveled. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Stepping back and rethinking why we do things the way we do, might be a good idea once in a while. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Makes sense to me 🙂
LikeLike
“Stepping back and rethinking why we do things the way we do, might be a good idea once in a while.” That’s one of the few things I am absolutely SURE is a good idea! Really enjoyed and appreciated the obscure poem, too. Goes along with another certainty I have: The more things change, the more they stay the same!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I feel lost in this world lately, don’t like the direction of where it’s going. I do wish we would step back and would think about it, but I fear it’s too late for that.
“The more things change, the more they stay the same.” Scary and so true!
LikeLike
How do we convince everyone to stop following blindly and realize the new Emperor is naked? If you get a moment why don’t you post this tomorrow at the Salon?
LikeLiked by 1 person
I will try to remember. Wednesdays are always busy. I love the senior salon, but forget to participate when I get busy.
LikeLike
Beautifully expressed wisdom
LikeLiked by 2 people
I agree with Derrick here
That’s beautifully expressed wisdom.
It’s like most of us only pretend to think while we copy paste some one else’s thoughts, believes, paths and very often without even questioning it.
A great post!
Love,
N
LikeLiked by 2 people
Nice to meet you N.
I love the calf path. Stunning how long ago it was written, still it is spot on today.
I feel many -too many- follow blindly these days, especially online when they swallow everything they read like a gumdrop.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Very Nice to meet you Nonsmokingladybug,
I couldn’t agree more.
P.s. It’s an inspiring blog you have there.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you!~
LikeLiked by 1 person
I love it and I am glad you like it too.
LikeLiked by 1 person
you are spot right…. “too many of us follow blindly. ”
and this post is dense…. and love that green in the vibrant photo
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you for stopping by. It does make one think doesn’t it?
LikeLiked by 1 person
✌🏼️😊💐
LikeLike