Jack

Frederick George Scott 1861 (Montreal, Quebec) – 1944 (Quebec City, Quebec)



YOU'RE only a dumb little dog, Jack,
    About ten or twelve pounds or so,
And your wits must be all in a fog, Jack,
    If you have any wits, I know.
But you've two such soft brown eyes, Jack,
5
    And such long grey silky hair;
And, what very much more I prize, Jack,
    Such a warm little heart in there.
They say warm hearts are rare, Jack,
    And I almost believe that it's true;
10
But there ar'n't many hearts can compare, Jack,
    With that staunch little heart in you.
Of course, we that speak and can read, Jack,
    Have plenty of friendships sweet;
But, in spite of them all, there's a need, Jack,
15
    For a friend like the friend at my feet.
This planet must seem a queer place, Jack,
    To your poor little limited mind;
For I fancy you never can trace, Jack,
    The reasons for half that you find.
20

You're not bothered with questions like us, Jack,
    About forces and morals and laws;
And you never get worried or fuss, Jack,
    When you cannot discover a cause.
But you go your own little way, Jack,
25
    With a wag of the tail for a friend;
And in spite of our talk, I dare say, Jack,
    That we don't do much more in the end.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

1:09 min read
218

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABABACDADAECAEAFACFAGAGC AXAXACHAH
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 1,137
Words 222
Stanzas 2
Stanza Lengths 24, 9

Frederick George Scott

Frederick George Scott was a Canadian poet and author, known as the Poet of the Laurentians. He is sometimes associated with Canada's Confederation Poets, a group that included Charles G. D. Roberts, Bliss Carman, Archibald Lampman, and Duncan Campbell Scott. Scott published 13 books of Christian and patriotic poetry. Scott was a British imperialist who wrote many hymns to the British Empire—eulogizing his country's roles in the Boer Wars and World War I. Many of his poems use the natural world symbolically to convey deeper spiritual meaning. Frederick George Scott was the father of poet F. R. Scott. more…

All Frederick George Scott poems | Frederick George Scott Books

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