Poetry · Chapter
Lines on a Big Ox explained
A humorous and skeptical poem questioning the reported size of a massive ox exhibited at the Western Fair, suggesting the measurement might be exaggerated unless it includes the tail.
What happens
A humorous and skeptical poem questioning the reported size of a massive ox exhibited at the Western Fair, suggesting the measurement might be exaggerated unless it includes the tail.
Themes in this chapter
Agriculture and Rural Economy
The poem centers on a prize ox exhibited at a fair, highlighting the importance of livestock and agricultural displays in rural life.
Key passages
“The Statememt doth me surprise, Sir, Which I read in Advertiser ; Can it be true or but an hoax, This tale of eighteen feet long ox?”
I am astonished by the claim in the newspaper; I wonder if this story of an eighteen-foot-long ox is true or just a trick.
The speaker expresses disbelief about the reported size of the ox.
“It almost doth exceed belief, This great living, mammoth beef; I fear the measurement will fail, Unless extended is its tail.”
This enormous living beef is almost too incredible to believe; I suspect the measurement is inaccurate unless they included the tail.
The poet humorously suggests the measurement is only possible if the tail is counted.