The Men And Women, And The Monkeys
A FABLE
When beasts by words their meanings could declare,
Some well-dressed men and women did repair
To gaze upon two monkeys at a fair:
And one who was the spokesman in the place
Said, in their countenance you might plainly trace
The likeness of a withered old man's face.
His observation none impeached or blamed,
But every man and woman when 'twas named
Drew in the head, or slunk away ashamed.
One monkey, who had more pride than the other,
His infinite chagrin could scarcely smother;
But Pug the wiser said unto his brother:
'The slights and coolness of this human nation
Should give a sensible ape no mortification;
'Tis thus they always serve a poor relation.'
poem by Charles Lamb
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Related quotes
It was the Woman! ! ! ! ! ! !
Ever since the dawn of time women have always been blamed.
For man said it was her fault whenever he felt ashamed.
'It was the woman, ' was his cry when he was caught in sin.
So no matter whatever happens women cannot win.
************
Ever since the coming of mankind / women have been blamed.
because the man said it was her fault/whenever he's ashamed.
'It was the woman, ' is his great cry / when he's caught in sin.
So no matter whatever happens / women cannot win.
Re-written as an experiment with change in rhythm
Know that a monkey is on your back
There is a monkey on your back
At any point of time each one of us is carrying a monkey on the back.
Whether you like it or not your thoughts, words and deeds are determined by this very powerful monkey.
This monkey is nothing but a personification of the tasks either
assigned to you or taken up on your own.
The life line of the monkey is the strong desire that you nurse to
accomplish these tasks.
You may not know that you only feed this monkey and make it naughty.
They quality of your feed and its extent depend on your knowledge, attitude and earlier practices.
Often, wittingly or unwittingly we act only to get rid of the monkey.
Unfortunately, if one monkey goes the other is just taking its place.
And you think, talk and act accordingly.
Some wise people, are they really wise, pass on the monkey to some other’s back tactfully, so the monkey is rid off, but still alive. This is what
exactly happens in a work environment.
Know your monkeys and their feeds.
Fail not to feed them in time, as monkeys should be fed or shot to death. Otherwise, they will starve to death, forcing you to conduct postmortem.
Keep monkeys' population below the maximum number you can probably feed.
Feed monkeys only by appointment, otherwise you will be feeding them at odd hours.
Feed monkeys personally, if left to others, they may feed wrong and/or in unacceptable doses.
Each monkey is unique, hence its feed and frequency of feed differs.
No monkey stays long. They know when to leave you as once the monkey is satisfied with your hospitality it jumps off your back.
The new monkey on your back is the task to know whether monkeys are there or not on your back.
poem by Bashyam Narayanan
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After our Likeness.
Before me now a little picture lies—
A little shadow of a childish face,
Childishly sweet, yet with the dawning grace
Of thought and wisdom on her lips and eyes.
Fair, oval, broad-brow'd face—small, delicate head—
Transparent skin, with blue veins shining through—
All the soft outlines, beautiful and true,
Bring me the echo of the words “God said.”
Made “in our image”—sure 'tis that we see,
God's likeness, in the fair face of a child,
By the world's sin and passion undefiled—
Ay, as I look, it seems quite plain to me.
The light wherein the little features shine,
Strange, mystic light, so undefined and faint,
So far too pure for any words to paint—
'Tis a reflection of the Face divine.
Some day the earthly shadows will be cast
Across that sunshine—it may be to dim
A while the visible countenance of Him;
But 'twill be there—the likeness—to the last.
Some day the lucid waters, in which lie
Pictured those glorious lineaments, will be
Stirred up and troubled like a stormy sea;—
But they will yet re-settle—by-and-by.
They will re-settle when the soul is still'd,
Its passions, its wild longings, and its pain;
The pure reflection will shine out again
When earth's hopes are relinquish'd, unfulfill'd.
They will re-settle in those after-years
When life's hard lessons have been conned and learn'd;
Then this child's beauty will have all return'd,
More lovely for the trouble and the tears.
They will re-settle in the calm of death,
When the sweet eyes are laid asleep, and when
The heart is hush'd. Truly God's likeness then—
The mirror clear, unsullied by a breath.
Ah! while I look, and trace each tender line,
I think most of the day when I shall see
The dear face in that perfect purity,
Its mortal features clothed with the divine.
This self-same face, but with the image bright,
Nevermore undefined, and faint, and dim;
This self-same face, yet like the face of Him,
In glory and in beauty infinite.
poem by Ada Cambridge
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More Fun Than A Barrel Of Monkeys
there are multiple questions pertaining to the concept,
'more fun than a barrel of monkeys.'
how big is the barrel?
how many monkeys are we talking about?
how big are the monkeys? Are we talking spider monkeys, chimps, baboons or what?
Are the monkeys old or young and where's the barrel, inside or outside?
If you leave the monkeys in the barrel, you got a problem:
they'll die in their own excrement,
if you lift the lid and let them out,
they might kill you.
a monkey can rip out your eyes, is that fun?
monkeys, leaping and running around the house, can do a lot of damage, is that fun?
monkeys are dirty, so... what exactly do you consider fun?
what's it going to be like trying to get the monkeys back in the barrel?
would that be fun?
what would the neighbors think of you, if you released the monkeys into their yards?
what happens if the police gets involved?
it could mean everything imaginable is more fun than a barrel of these animals.
maybe even more fun than a barrel of human beings.
poem by Richard Jarboe
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Open Your Arms
Sitting under the money tree
look for the fruits of charity
best to pick them fast for they too far gone
they grow rotten to the core on the greedy man's farm
open your moth the words don't come out
even though the thoughts in your head seem to flow
are you so afraid what everybody thinks
are you so afraid to show what you know
to get along, with your sister your brother
get along, we all the same under this shell
brother to brother and sister to sister
and people are people and...
open your arms
monkey do monkey see
why you want to upset me
monkey go monkey say
but let me live my life today
monkey hear monkey walk
monkey you so full of talk
when are we every gonna learn
to fulfill the need to be free
feel free
be free
stand free
wont need mediocrity
brother to sister and
sister to brother and
brother to brother and sister to sister
open your arms
poem by Harlan Lovestone
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Prove Human
Let; s leave alone nature
it's calamities seems to sap us in
what about human nature
one to another
nation to nation
man to man
brother to brother
brother to sister
father to son
son to father
man to woman...
woman to man
nothing seems straight
vengeance.... has wrought
all our relationships...
leave alone nature
every seed has borne a tree..
IT'S WE
WE NEVER PROVED HUMAN
LET'S PROVE HUMAN
poem by Samanyan Lakshminarayanan
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Women Throughout Time
Women are here, there and every where,
But the society didn't give them in the past any care.
They were forced to live in carelessness, a real nightmare
They weren't allowed to take part in the society or even to share
They had to take permission even before breathing fresh air
They were by every person tamed,
And for every thing they were blamed
They hadn't any courage and all the time they were ashamed.
But this situation is no longer,
As the years taught women to be stronger.
The years taught them how to be supreme without fears,
And that their legal rights are like pearls.
Since our great women claimed for their rights,
And the entire world was awakened to women's great shouts.
The world knew that women in society have great rank,
And recognized that their legal rights in the deep ocean sank.
So the society broke all the chains around the woman her self,
And the woman came out to the world leaving her narrow shelf.
Women are amazing creatures,
Women are an object of mystery.
They are full of dazzling features,
They played their own part in the history.
Women are a great and heavenly treasure,
The epitome of human pleasure.
Now women wear looks of confidence on their face,
And they took of and tore mask of grace.
Women went quickly to learn to gain,
More education to travel through the world in their educational plane.
With their rights they can do any thing to achieve their aim,
But nothing can put out women's enthusiasm flame.
They look from every high place to their future,
And they move in every way of progress and culture.
Now a woman can go to work at schools,
And with her great word she can break any unfair rules.
And now and after giving the women all their rights,
The entire world says that by women it brights.
And such that day we honour the woman and celebrate,
The great woman who opened to the world the hope gate,
You read my poem and that is the end but don't leave,
Women still don't have all their rights, please believe.
I know that women took all their rights now and before,
But when will women stop sweeping the floor?
poem by Mofida Mahmoud
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Educate Woman
To educate a woman is to educate a nation
Do not deprive the woman of education
Do let her know what she is to mention
Wherever she goes throughout the nation
Let her use skill in estimation
Let her learn what is real; not hallucination
Give her a chance to get that that salutation
Which men do get because of education
A woman that has much education
Will teach her children motivation
She’ll train them to support the nation
They’ll always have the best of intention
Knowledge is essential in every institution
The family too needs education
The woman’s own is more to mention
Educated women save the nation
When a woman excels in education
That woman can then build a mansion
A real estate not imagination
All because of worthy education
Fellow women I need your attention
Let seeking for knowledge be your aspiration
Stick to it with all devotion
Absence of knowledge causes indignation
A woman too observes the nation
She knows what goes in and out in motion
For her to be accurate in observation
A woman needs some sort of intuition
Think of knowledge with deep emotion
Illiterates know nothing but mere illusion
A strong nation is built by education
Illiteracy burns and destroys a nation
A nation in a fatal situation
Needs educated men and women in combination
Support them in their various occupations
They’ll unite and be strong and build the nation
Illiterate women are easy preys for seduction
They live in houses of corruption
Making money quickly is their desperation
A rich man’s camp is their destination
An educated woman has a good reputation
She does not support that which leads to deterioration
Her aim is not to cause commotion
She supports and fights to build the nation
An educated woman uses skill in communication
When she talks she corrects a situation
She’ll disconnect all those bad connections
She’ll not be bribed she hates corruption
Knowledgeable people working in collaboration
Do not employ those without education
They are not included in their collection
Same happens to women with no education
Knowledge is essential it is an obligation
Men, women both need education
Knowledge destroys all bad solutions
Education, knowledge saves the nation
poem by Saudatu Kabir
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Proudest Monkey
Swing in this tree
Oh I am bounce around so well
Branch to branch,
Limb to limb you see
All in a days dream
Im stuck
Like the other monkeys here
I am a humble monkey
Sitting up in here again
But then came the day
I climbed out of these safe limbs
Ventured away
Walking tall, head high up and singing
I went to the city
Car horns, corners and the gritty
Now I am the proudest monkey youve ever seen
Monkey see, monkey do
Then comes the day
Staring at myself I turn to question me
I wonder do I want the simple, simple life that I once lived in well
Oh things were quiet then
In a way they were the better days
But now I am the proudest monkey youve ever seen
Monkey see, monkey do
Monkey see, monkey do
song performed by by Dave Matthews Band
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Esther, A Sonnet Sequence: XII
She was a little woman dressed in black,
Who stood on tiptoe with a childish air,
Her face and figure hidden in a sacque,
All but her eyes and forehead and dark hair.
Her brow was pale, but it was lit with light,
And mirth flashed out of it, it seemed in rays.
A childish face, but wise with woman's wit,
And something, too, pathetic in its gaze.
In the bare dusk of that unseemly place
I noted all, and this besides, a scar
Which on her cheek had left a paler trace.
It seemed to tell its tale of love and war.
That little scar! Doubt whispered of this one,
Boy as I was, she had not lived a nun.
poem by Wilfrid Scawen Blunt
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Bastard
The very skies wee black with shame,
As near my moment drew;
The very hour before you cam
I felt I hated you.
But now I see how fair you are,
How divine your eyes,
It seems I step upon a star
To leap to Paradise.
What care I who your father was:
('Twas better no to know);
You're mine and mine alone because
I love and love you so.
What though you only bear my name,
I hold my head on high;
For none shall have a right to claim
A right to you but I.
Because I've borne a human life,
I'm worthier, I know,
Than those who flaunt the name of wife,
And have no seed to show.
I have fulfilled, I think with joy,
My women's destiny;
And glad am I you are a boy,
For you will fight for me.
And maybe there will come a day
You'll bear a famous name,
And men will be ashamed to say:
"He was a child of shame."
A day will dawn, divinely free,
With love in every breast,
When every child will welcome be,
And every mother blest.
When every women, wed or no,
Will deem her highest good
On grateful mankind to bestow
The Gift of Motherhood.
poem by Robert William Service
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When Dacey rode the Mule
’TWAS to a small, up-country town,
When we were boys at school,
There came a circus with a clown,
Likewise a bucking mule.
The clown announced a scheme they had
Spectators for to bring—
They’d give a crown to any lad
Who’d ride him round the ring.
And, gentle reader, do not scoff
Nor think a man a fool—
To buck a porous-plaster off
Was pastime to that mule.
The boys got on he bucked like sin;
He threw them in the dirt.
What time the clown would raise a grin
By asking, “Are you hurt?”
But Johnny Dacey came one night,
The crack of all the school;
Said he, “I’ll win the crown all right;
Bring in your bucking mule.”
The elephant went off his trunk,
The monkey played the fool,
And all the band got blazing drunk
When Dacey rode the mule.
But soon there rose a galling shout
Of laughter, for the clown
From somewhere in his pants drew out
A little paper crown.
He placed the crown on Dacey’s head
While Dacey looked a fool;
“Now, there’s your crown, my lad,” he said,
“For riding of the mule!”
The band struck up with “Killaloe”,
And “Rule Britannia, Rule”,
And “Young Man from the Country”, too,
When Dacey rode the mule.
Then Dacey, in a furious rage,
For vengeance on the show
Ascended to the monkeys’ cage
And let the monkeys go;
The blue-tailed ape and the chimpanzee
He turned abroad to roam;
Good faith! It was a sight to see
The people step for home.
For big baboons with canine snout
Are spiteful, as a rule—
The people didn’t sit it out,
When Dacey rode the mule.
And from the beasts he let escape,
The bushmen all declare,
Were born some creatures partly ape
And partly native-bear.
They’re rather few and far between,
The race is nearly spent;
But some of them may still be seen
In Sydney Parliament.
And when those legislators fight,
And drink, and act the fool,
Just blame it on that torrid night
When Dacey rode the mule.
A.B. (Banjo) Pasterson
poem by Andrew Barton Paterson
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Dangerous Ape
Gods have calibre, and the monkey is banished
Due to poor health and no showmanship.
Gods shall keep the poor apes, the poor monkeys
That spell for their names, hunting fruit like apes
That are friendly to the godly men and humans.
Each god shall praise the highest men
Who parade the bigger kind of human,
But apish behaviour is against the role to play,
Danger is the fantastic goal, one of great apes.
The great ape is not human or humane.
poem by Naveed Akram
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Praise Women
Praise them! Praise Women!
I read his words, then I cried, O these lies
How can a woman’s love lie only between her thighs?
Foremost I admired him, his work was set on another stage
Later I concluded his words of women were words of rage
Praise them! Praise Women!
For on the faces of all women you can trace
The elements of sacrificial suffering in their gaze
To hear him say women are libidinous
Is not hilarious, rather I deem it as outrageous
The women we all know have it tough
Every aspect of their life is embroiled with rough
Life cycle periodic pains and yet enough is not enough
Their agonising vaginal birth anguish isn’t a bluff
Praise them! Praise Women!
Why curse the women that raise thee
Wait for you blindly in love while you are at sea
Aid you in your visions of where you want to be!
They bring us joy, love and peace
Something I request no one to dismiss
If only he could see their potential essence
He may have appreciated their very presence
On earth, women’s love is the voltage of balance
The very reasoning of all kinds of romance
They give rise to our population
By endless copulation and multiplication
Which in turn gives rise to all the nations
Praise them! Praise Women!
We need them in our mist!
For without them we cannot exist
Praise them! Praise Women!
Praise onto the women that raise thee!
poem by Sylvia Chidi
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Beneath A Photoraph
Phoebus, who taught me art divine,
Here tried his hand where I did mine;
And his white fingers in this face
Set my Fair's sigh-suggesting grace.
O sweetness past profaning guess,
Grievous with its own exquisiteness!
Vesper-like face, its shadows bright
With meanings of sequestered light;
Drooped with shamefast sanctities
She purely fears eyes cannot miss,
Yet would blush to know she IS.
Ah, who can view with passionless glance
This tear-compelling countenance!
He has cozened it to tell
Almost its own miracle.
Yet I, all-viewing though he be,
Methinks saw further here than he;
And, Master gay! I swear I drew
Something the better of the two!
poem by Francis Thompson
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To a Blossoming Pear Tree
Beautiful natural blossoms,
Pure delicate body,
You stand without trembling.
Little mist of fallen starlight,
Perfect, beyond my reach,
How I envy you.
For if you could only listen,
I would tell you something,
Something human.
An old man
Appeared to me once
In the unendurable snow.
He had a singe of white
Beard on his face.
He paused on a street in Minneapolis
And stroked my face.
Give it to me, he begged.
I'll pay you anything.
I flinched. Both terrified,
We slunk away,
Each in his own way dodging
The cruel darts of the cold.
Beautiful natural blossoms,
How could you possibly
Worry or bother or care
About the ashamed, hopeless
Old man? He was so near death
He was willing to take
Any love he could get,
Even at the risk
Of some mocking policeman
Or some cute young wiseacre
Smashing his dentures,
Perhaps leading him on
To a dark place and there
Kicking him in his dead groin
Just for the fun of it.
Young tree, unburdened
By anything but your beautiful natural blossoms
And dew, the dark
Blood in my body drags me
Down with my brother.
poem by James Arlington Wright
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Monkeying
Where women of worth, true, have ever been rare,
men rarer than rubies are, so it would seem,
mankind might to monkey return - fair is fair -
to try once again to accomplish God's dream
of a race whose trace shines as ace team.
(18 April 2010)
poem by Jonathan Robin
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Next Time, This Time
If you get to feelin' all alone
When your good time friends
have all got up and gone
Don't come knockin' around my door
Because I've heard your lines before
'Cause there ain't gone be a next time, this time
'Cause woman startin' right now
I'm gonna forget your name and your pretty face girl
And write you off as a bad mistake
You know that some women they are lovers
And some just got no sense
But a woman like you oughta be ashamed
Of the things that you do to men
And If you get to feelin' all alone
When you find that you can't make it on your own
Don't come knockin' around my door
You see I've seen your act before
And there ain't gonna be a next time, this time
'Cause woman startin' right now
I'm gonna forget your name and your pretty face girl
And write you off as a bad mistake
You know that some women they are lovers
And some just got no sense
But a woman like you oughta be ashamed
Of the things that you do to men
And If you get to feel' you where wrong
don't go wastin' your good money in the phone
'Cause I can hang up as fast as you can call
And that ain't all
'Cause there ain't gonna be a next time, this time
'Cause woman startin' right now
I'm gonna forget your name and your pretty face girl
And write you off as a complete disgrace
You know that some women they are liars
And some just got no sense
But a woman like you oughta be ashamed
Of the things that you do to men
Yeah a woman like you oughta be ashamed
Of the things that you do to men
song performed by by Jim Croce
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Man
I was born as free as the silvery light
That laughs in a Southern fountain;
Free as the sea-fed bird that nests
On a Scandinavian mountain,
Free as the wind that mocks at the sway
And pinioning clasp of another,
Yet in the slave they scourged to-day
I saw and knew—my brother!
Vested in purple I sat apart,
But the cord that smote him bruised me;
I closed my ears, but the sob that broke
From his savage breast accused me;
No phrase of reasoning judgement just
The plaint of my soul could smother,
A creature vile, abased to the dust,
I knew him still—my brother.
And the autumn day that had smiled so fair
Seemed suddenly overclouded;
A gloom, more dreadful than Nature owns,
My human mind enshrouded;
I thought of the power benign that made
And bound men one to the other,
And I felt in my brother's fear afraid,
And ashamed in the shame of my brother.
poem by Florence Earle Coates from Poems (1898)
Submitted by Veronica Serbanoiu
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Island Of Wonder (feat. Caetano Veloso)
The man wrinkles his face
But it's already worn
The coffe is sour
And the shirt is torn
But the smile is bigger than the Atlantic sea
And it happens to bring out the Atlantis in me
Island of wonder
Where do you come from
Is it the way the sun hits my face
Or is it your memory which I cannot trace
Eu vejo mais ao longe
Pessoas sem fome
Com ps sangrando
Na vereda florida
And the church bell dongs
A remarkable song
And I swallow the salt
As I hum along
The woman she laughs as I pass her by
In a patchwork (dream) I left behind
Island of wonder
Where do you come from
Is it the way the sun
Hits my face
Or is it your memory which I cannot trace
I cannot trace
Look at me I have so much pride
I took my shoes off I ran I did not hide
Look at me i Have so much pride
I will give my dowry for the prize
Island of wonder
Where are you going
Nobody knows it
But it is snowing
In the hearts
and minds of every kind of universe
Every kind of universe
song performed by by Nelly Furtado
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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