1. Oliver Wendell Holmes

  • The One-Hoss Shay

    Or, The Deacon’s Masterpiece
    A Logical Story
    HAVE you heard of the wonderful one-hoss shay,
    That was built in such a logical way
    It ran a hundred years to a day,
    And then of a sudden, it—ah, but stay,
    I ’ll tell you what happened without delay,
    Scaring the parson into fits,
    Frightening people out of their wits,—
    Have you...

    Oliver Wendell Holmes

  • Ode for a Social Meeting

    With Slight Alterations by a Teetotaller
    COME! fill a fresh bumper,—for why should we go
    While the [nectar vs. logwood] still reddens our cups as they flow?
    Pour out the [rich juices vs. decoction] still bright with the sun,
    Till o’er the brimmed crystal the [rubies vs. dye-stuff] shall run.
    The [purple-globed clusters vs. half-ripened apples] their life-...

    Oliver Wendell Holmes