Tyger! Tiger!

By Ed Crane

Thu, 17 Oct 2013
  • 1664 reads
14 comments
 

“Tyger! Tyger! burning bright”

How Blake’s words belie your plight

With bloody prize upon your head

May come the day when you are dead

 

We search in vain the forest floor

To find sinewed hearts that beat no more

The fire that burns within your eye

Snuffed out as poacher’s bullets fly

 

No longer free to roam at will

You share the land with men who kill

And will not stop ‘til you are none

Lamb’s maker’s work will be undone

 

But the World’s afraid to lose this art

Fierce magnificence must not depart

To leave a space that can’t be filled

The tumbling numbers must be stilled

 

On secret hills and forests deep

A place where poachers cannot reach

Good men search your hidden home

And plan a path where you can roam

 

On mountain kingdom’s frozen land

Is this the place you’ll make your stand?

Do Himalayan wooded slopes

Give us reason to dare to hope?

 

Could this place become the seed

Which grows again this wondrous breed?

And takes away the need to say

In twenty years you’ll fade away

 

And read again the words of Blake

As they give us cause to celebrate

That some have helped you win the fight

And Tiger Tiger’s burning bright!

Certificate U
Poem
Nature

Comments

Submitted by jolono on

Enjoyed this Ed Crane. The rhyming was excellent as was the rhythm. It's also very topical...

 

Submitted by Ed Crane on

Thanks Joe, Ever since I was a kid, Tigers have been my favourite animal. So sad to see them in danger for profit.

 

Submitted by Rhiannonw on

I enjoyed this too very much. Interesting comment and form.
Rhiannon

 

Submitted by Ed Crane on

Thanks Rhia, In my opinion Tigers are the most beautiful animals on Earth. Depending on ones' beliefs: they are either hand painted by God or a masterpiece of natural selection.

Whatever it is, it's a crime against the Universe to see them being wiped out to make money from primitive beliefs

 

Submitted by Bee on

Hi Ed. As a child, I always liked that poem. Yours has something to say - a great message that offers a glimmer of hope. Lets hope.

Bee

Submitted by Ed Crane on

Thanks Bee,

I have everything crossed. Glad you liked the poem.

 

Submitted by VeraClark on

A great poem, Ed.  Using Blake gave it weight. The tentative, questioning style invites your reader to think. Agree with Jolono on the lively format.

 

Submitted by Ed Crane on

Thanks Vera. I don't normally do rhyming poems, but for this I chose the AABB quatrain form like Blake's poem. However unlike him, I decided to omit punctuation.

 

Submitted by VeraClark on

I'm a stranger to poetic form - need a Dummy's handbook! frown

 

Submitted by Ed Crane on

Vera, From what I have seen of your poetry, it's in great form! yes(I love it)

You don't need a handbook for what comes naturally.smiley

 

Submitted by Art of the Diver on

Nice piece with an excellent solid flowing message... thank you for sharing your talent... take care... PD

Submitted by Ed Crane on

Hello PD, thanks for your kind comment

 

Submitted by scratch on

It's all great.  The penultimate stanza is perfect.

 

Submitted by Ed Crane on

Thanks scratch.

What a disaster it would be if the only tigers left were in zoos and private collections. There's some great work being done to save them, I hope they succeed.