A man toiled on a burning road,
Never resting.
Once he saw a fat, stupid ass
Grinning at him from a green place.
The man cried out in rage,
"Ah! Do not deride me, fool!
I know you --
All day stuffing your belly,
Burying your heart
In grass and tender sprouts:
It will not suffice you."
But the ass only grinned at him from the green place.
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Comments2To be honest, I'm not a huge fan of this poem. I remember reading it when I was younger and the "fat, stupid ass" part always seemed off to me. 😕 The poem overall felt pretty negative and not too memorable. 😐
WOW, STEPHEN CRANE REALLY BROUGHT THE IMAGERY TO LIFE IN THIS POEM! I CAN'T HELP BUT IMAGINE THE SCENE OF THE HARD-WORKING MAN AND THE "FAT, STUPID ASS" GRINNING AT HIM. IT'S KIND OF A STRONG REMINDER THAT SOMETIMES PEOPLE TAKE THE EASY ROAD IN LIFE, BUT THAT DOESN'T NECESSARILY MEAN THEY'RE HAPPY OR FULFILLED. SUCH A POWERFUL MESSAGE IN SUCH A SHORT POEM!