A Bunny Romance
The Bunnies are a feeble folkWhose weakness is their strength.To shun a gun a Bun will runTo almost any length.
Now once, when war alarms were rifeIn the ancestral woodWhere the kingdom of the BunniesFor centuries had stood,The king, for fear long peace had madeHis subjects over-bold,To wake the glorious spiritOf timidity of old,Announced one day he would bestowPrincess Bunita’s handOn the Bunny who should prove himselfMost timid in the land.
Next day a proclamationWas posted in the wood“To the Flower of Timidity,The Pick of Bunnyhood:His Majesty the Bunny king,Commands you to appearAt a tournament--at such a dateIn such and such a year--Where his Majesty will then bestowPrincess Bunita’s handOn the Bunny who will prove himselfMost timid in the land.”
Then every timid Bunny’s heartSwelled with exultant frightAt the thought of doughty deeds of fearAnd prodigies of flight.
For the motto of the BunniesAs perhaps you are aware,Is “Only the faint-heartedAre deserving of the fair.”
They fell at once to practising,These Bunnies, one and all,Till some could almost die of frightTo hear a petal fall.And one enterprising BunnyGot up a special classTo teach the art of faintingAt your shadow on the grass.
At length--at length--at lengthThe moment is at hand!And trembling all from head to footA hundred Bunnies stand.And a hundred Bunny mothersWith anxiety turn grayLest their offspring dear should lose their fearAnd linger in the fray.
Never before in Bunny loreWas such a stirring sightAs when the bugle soundedTo begin the glorious flight!A hundred Bunnies, like a flash,All disappeared from sightLike arrows from a hundred bows--None swerved to left or right.Some north, some south, some east, some west,--And none of them, ’t is plain,Till he has gone around the earthWill e’er be seen again.
It may be in a hundred weeks,Perchance a hundred years.Whenever it may be, ’t is plainThe one who first appearsIs the one who ran the fastest;He wins the Princess’ hand,And gains the glorious title of“Most Timid in the Land.”
Words in this poem
- folk n.
- In Anglo-Saxon times, the people of a group of townships or villages; a community; a tribe. [AS. folc; akin to D. volk, OS. & OHG. folk, G. volk, Icel. f, Sw. & Dan. folk, Lith. pulkas crowd, and perh. to E. follow.]
- rife a.
- Prevailing; prevalent; abounding. [AS. rif abundant, or Icel. rifr munificent; akin to OD. riff, rijve, abundant.]
- glorious a.
- Exhibiting attributes, qualities, or acts that are worthy of or receive glory; noble; praiseworthy; excellent; splendid; illustrious; inspiring admiration; as, glorious deeds. [OF. glorios, glorious, F. glorieux, fr. L. gloriosus. See Glory, n.]
- timidity n.
- The quality or state of being timid; timorousness; timidness. [L. timiditas: cf. F. timidité.]
- princess n.
- A female prince; a woman having sovereign power, or the rank of a prince. [F. princesse. See Prince, and cf. Princesse.]
- bunny n.
- A great collection of ore without any vein coming into it or going out from it.
- exultant a.
- Inclined to exult; characterized by, or expressing, exultation; rejoicing triumphantly. [L. exsultans, exsultantis, p. pr. of exsultare. See Exult.]
- doughty a.
- Able; strong; valiant; redoubtable; as, a doughty hero.
- enterprising a.
- Having a disposition for enterprise; characterized by enterprise; resolute, active or prompt to attempt; as, an enterprising man or firm.
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
A Bunny Romance is in the public domain. This text is taken from The Bashful Earthquake, & Other Fables and Verses, Project Gutenberg ebook #56765; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Oliver Herford, A Bunny Romance, in The Bashful Earthquake, and Other Fables and Verses (1898), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #56765, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/herford-bashful-earthquake/a-bunny-romance.html, id L22116.
Form and metre
A Bunny Romance is 72 lines in 9 stanzas. The metre is iambic tetrameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 89%).
See other poems in iambic tetrameter.
Measured by Laurel's pipeline, not copied from a handbook: how stress and metre are counted, how rhyme is lettered, how a drifted rhyme is found. Where the dictionary cannot confirm a rhyme the letter is withheld, not guessed.
Rhyme words, stanza by stanza
The word that ends each line, lettered by the rhyme it makes; a dash is a line whose rhyme the dictionary could not confirm.
- 1 -A-A folk · strengthA · run · lengthA
- 2 -A-A-B-B-C-C rife · woodA · bunnies · stoodA · made · boldB · spirit · oldB · bestow · handC · himself · landC
- 3 -A-A-B-B-C-C proclamation · woodA · timidity · bunnyhoodA · king · appearB · date · yearB · bestow · handC · himself · landC
- 4 -A-A heart · frightA · fear · flightA
- 5 -A-A bunnies · awareA · hearted · fairA
- 6 -A-A-B-B practising · allA · fright · fallA · bunny · classB · fainting · grassB
- 7 -A-A-B-B length · handA · foot · standA · mothers · grayB · fear · frayB
- 8 -A-A-A-A-B-B lore · sightA · sounded · flightA · flash · sightA · bows · rightA · west · plainB · earth · againB
- 9 -A-A-B-B weeks · yearsA · plain · appearsA · fastest · handB · of · landB
Scansion, line by line
Each line with its syllable count and the stresses the words themselves fix: / stressed, ˘ unstressed, · a syllable the word leaves free and the metre decides. Read against iambic tetrameter. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| The Bunnies are a feeble folk | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| Whose weakness is their strength. | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| To shun a gun a Bun will run | 8 | ········ |
| To almost any length. | 6 | ·/·/˘· |
| Now once, when war alarms were rife | 8 | ····˘/·· |
| In the ancestral wood | 6 | ··˘/˘· |
| Where the kingdom of the Bunnies | 8 | ··/˘··/˘ |
| For centuries had stood, | 6 | ·/˘˘·· |
| The king, for fear long peace had made | 8 | ········ |
| His subjects over-bold, | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| To wake the glorious spirit | 8 | ···/˘˘/˘ |
| Of timidity of old, | 7 | ·˘/˘˘·· |
| Announced one day he would bestow | 8 | ˘/····˘/ |
| Princess Bunita’s hand | 6 | /˘···· |
| On the Bunny who should prove himself | 9 | ··/˘···˘/ |
| Most timid in the land. | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| Next day a proclamation | 7 | ····˘/˘ |
| Was posted in the wood | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| “To the Flower of Timidity, | 9 | ··/˘·˘/˘˘ |
| The Pick of Bunnyhood: | 6 | ······ |
| His Majesty the Bunny king, | 8 | ·/˘˘·/˘· |
| Commands you to appear | 6 | ˘/··˘/ |
| At a tournament--at such a date | 8 | ··/˘···· |
| In such and such a year-- | 6 | ······ |
| Where his Majesty will then bestow | 8 | ··/˘··˘/ |
| Princess Bunita’s hand | 6 | /˘···· |
| On the Bunny who will prove himself | 9 | ··/˘···˘/ |
| Most timid in the land.” | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| Then every timid Bunny’s heart | 8 | ·/˘/˘/˘· |
| Swelled with exultant fright | 6 | ··˘/˘· |
| At the thought of doughty deeds of fear | 9 | ····/˘··· |
| And prodigies of flight. | 6 | ·/˘˘·· |
| For the motto of the Bunnies | 8 | ··/˘··/˘ |
| As perhaps you are aware, | 7 | ·˘/··˘/ |
| Is “Only the faint-hearted | 7 | ·/˘··/˘ |
| Are deserving of the fair.” | 7 | ·˘/˘··· |
| They fell at once to practising, | 8 | ········ |
| These Bunnies, one and all, | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| Till some could almost die of fright | 8 | ···/···· |
| To hear a petal fall. | 6 | ···/˘· |
| And one enterprising Bunny | 8 | ··/˘·˘/˘ |
| Got up a special class | 6 | ···/˘· |
| To teach the art of fainting | 7 | ·····/˘ |
| At your shadow on the grass. | 7 | ··/···· |
| At length--at length--at length | 6 | ······ |
| The moment is at hand! | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| And trembling all from head to foot | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| A hundred Bunnies stand. | 6 | ·/˘/˘· |
| And a hundred Bunny mothers | 8 | ··/˘/˘/˘ |
| With anxiety turn gray | 7 | ·˘/˘˘·· |
| Lest their offspring dear should lose their fear | 9 | ··/······ |
| And linger in the fray. | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| Never before in Bunny lore | 8 | /˘···/˘· |
| Was such a stirring sight | 6 | ···/˘· |
| As when the bugle sounded | 7 | ···/˘/˘ |
| To begin the glorious flight! | 8 | ·˘/·/˘˘· |
| A hundred Bunnies, like a flash, | 8 | ·/˘/˘··· |
| All disappeared from sight | 6 | ··˘/·· |
| Like arrows from a hundred bows-- | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| None swerved to left or right. | 6 | ······ |
| Some north, some south, some east, some west,-- | 8 | ········ |
| And none of them, ’t is plain, | 7 | ······· |
| Till he has gone around the earth | 8 | ········ |
| Will e’er be seen again. | 6 | ····˘/ |
| It may be in a hundred weeks, | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| Perchance a hundred years. | 6 | ˘/·/˘· |
| Whenever it may be, ’t is plain | 9 | ˘/˘······ |
| The one who first appears | 6 | ····˘/ |
| Is the one who ran the fastest; | 8 | ······/˘ |
| He wins the Princess’ hand, | 6 | ···/˘· |
| And gains the glorious title of | 8 | ···/˘/˘· |
| “Most Timid in the Land.” | 6 | ·/˘··· |
The reader shows the same poem with its rhymes coloured and a stress row above each line, the notes beside their stanzas, and any word's definition on a tap; the analysis page takes the whole book apart. How every part of this site was made.