John Godfrey Saxe
Overview
 
John Godfrey Saxe I was an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...

 perhaps best known for his re-telling of the Indian parable "The Blindmen and the Elephant", which introduced the story to a Western audience.
Saxe was born in Highgate, Vermont
Highgate, Vermont
Highgate is a town in Franklin County, Vermont, United States. The population was 3,397 at the 2000 census. The town is on the border of Quebec, Canada and is a border town of Philipsburg, Quebec.-History:...

 at Saxe's Mills, where his settler grandfather, John Saxe (Johannes Sachse) a German immigrant and Loyalist to the Crown, built the area's first gristmill
Gristmill
The terms gristmill or grist mill can refer either to a building in which grain is ground into flour, or to the grinding mechanism itself.- Early history :...

 in 1786. Saxe was the son of Peter Saxe, miller, judge and periodic member of the Vermont General Assembly
Vermont General Assembly
The Vermont General Assembly is the legislative body of the U.S. state of Vermont. The Legislature is formally known as the "General Assembly," but the style of "Legislature" is commonly used, including by the body itself...

; and Elizabeth Jewett of Weybridge, Vermont
Weybridge, Vermont
Weybridge is a town in Addison County, Vermont, United States. The population was 824 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 17.6 square miles , of which 17.0 square miles is land and 0.6 square mile is...

.
Quotations

It was six men of Hindustan To learning much inclined, Who went to see the Elephant (Though all of them were blind) That each by observation Might satisfy the mind.

"s:The Blindmen and the Elephant|The Blindmen and the Elephant", a poem based on ancient parables of Blind men and an elephant|blind men and an elephant.

And so these men of Hindustan Disputed loud and long, Each in his own opinion Exceeding stiff and strong, Though each was partly in the right And all were in the wrong. So oft in theologic wars, The disputants, I ween, Rail on in utter ignorance Of what each other mean, And prate about an Elephant Not one of them has seen!

"The Blindmen and the Elephant"

Again I hear the creaking step! — He's rapping at the door! — Too well I know the boding soundThat ushers in a bore.

"My Familiar"

In vain I speak of urgent tasks;In vain I scowl and pout;A frown is no extinguisher — It does not put him out!

"My Familiar"

He takes the strangest liberties — But never takes his leave!

"My Familiar"

Young men! it 's a critical thing to goExactly right with a lady in tow;But when you are in the proper track,Just go ahead, and never look back!

"Orpheus and Eurydice"

Don't use strong drink, — pray let me advise, — It 's bad for the stomach, and ruins the eyes;

"Polyphemus and Ulysses"

INGLORIOUS friend! most confident I amThy life is one of very little ease;Albeit men mock thee with their similesAnd prate of being "happy as a clam!"

"Sonnet to a Clam"

"God bless the man who first invented sleep!"So Sancho Panza said, and so say I.

"Early Rising"

 
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