Poor hapless, wretched, injured creature,
With mis'ry stamp'd on ev'ry feature,
Was scorn for thee ordain'd by Nature,
Poor donkey?

How lamentable is thy case!
Men jeer if thou but show thy face;
Thy very name is a disgrace—
Poor donkey!

And thou'rt the sport, alas! alas!
Of all the low unreas'ning class;
Thy crime is being “but an ass”—
Poor donkey!

Thou'rt stupid, and thine ears are long;
Thou'rt stubborn, and thy neck is strong;
To cudgel thee can ne'er be wrong—
Poor donkey!

Where shalt thou fly, where canst thou hide?
The wretch's refuge, suicide,
Is even unto thee denied—
Poor donkey!

'Twould do thee little good to know
There's sorrow wheresoe'er we go,
And thou art not alone in woe—
Poor donkey!

Of sorrow's children thou'rt but one,
That for no evil they have done
Are wretched underneath the sun—
Poor donkey!

My heart is sad, poor thing, to trace
The silent sorrow of thy face
What's thine opinion of our race,
Poor donkey?

I well may blush to ask it thee,
For in thine eyes, ah, woe is me!
What cruel demons we must be—
Poor donkey!

It needs no deep insight to guess
Thou canst believe in nothing less
Than in our “perfect cussedness”—
Poor donkey!

Tho' thou art not accounted wise,
Thou must at times philosophize
On what goes on before thine eyes—
Poor donkey!

How useless dogs are richly fed,
While Industry's in want of bread,
With scarcely where to lay her head—
Poor donkey!

Or why yon puppy is carest
And pamper'd on the very best,
While thou'rt a drudge with want opprest—
Poor donkey!

What compensation for thy groans,
Thy bleeding feet among the stones,
Thy hungry sides and weary bones,
Poor donkey?

It seems a lack of common-sense,
Or of intelligence gone hence,
To tell thee all's beneficence—
Poor donkey!

Or what good will it do to know
For ev'ry needless curse and blow
Thy persecutors shall have woe,
Poor donkey?

There's some wise end, I do not doubt,
Tho' it is hard to find it out:
God's ends are strangely brought about—
Poor donkey!

No doubt thy fate seems most unjust,
From sympathy for no crime thrust,
But we've to take a deal on trust—