The Mouse's Petition

O hear a pensive prisoner's prayer,For liberty that sighs;And never let thine heart be shutAgainst the wretch's cries!

For here forlorn and sad I sit,Within the wiry grate;And tremble at the' approaching morn,Which brings impending fate.

If e'er thy breast with freedom glowed,And spurned a tyrant's chain,Let not thy strong oppressive forceA free-born mouse detain!

O do not stain with guiltless bloodThy hospitable hearth!Nor triumph that thy wiles betrayedA prize so little worth.

The scattered gleanings of a feastMy frugal meals supply;But if thine unrelenting heartThat slender boon deny,—

The cheerful light, the vital air,Are blessings widely given;Let Nature's commoners enjoyThe common gifts of Heaven.

The well-taught philosophic mindTo all compassion gives;Casts round the world an equal eye,And feels for all that lives.

If mind,—as ancient sages taught,—A never dying flame,Still shifts through matter's varying forms,In every form the same;

Beware, lest in the worm you crush,A brother's soul you find;And tremble lest thy luckless handDislodge a kindred mind.

Or, if this transient gleam of dayBe all of life we share,Let pity plead within thy breastThat little all to spare.

So may thy hospitable boardWith health and peace be crowned;And every charm of heartfelt easeBeneath thy roof be found.

So when destruction lurks unseen,Which men, like mice, may share,May some kind angel clear thy path,And break the hidden snare.