A long time ago I made a point of reading up a little on the different quotes against animal abuse and I had been surprised at some of the powerful words people thought of. One in particular (though a poem) had struck a very deep chord with me.
It was written in 1773 by a Anna Barubauld who had worked in a science lab. One day a rat was placed in a small glass cage. It was to be suffocated on the next day for an experiment on oxygen.
So that night before leaving, she wrote a poem and placed it on the cage door. She never went back.
This what she wrote:
OH ! hear a pensive captive's prayer,
For liberty that sighs ;
And never let thine heart be shut
Against the prisoner's cries.
For here forlorn and sad I sit,
Within the wiry grate ;
And tremble at th' approaching morn,
Which brings impending fate.
If e'er thy breast with freedom glow'd,
And spurn'd a tyrant's chain,
Let not thy strong oppressive force
A free-born mouse detain. ...
The chearful light, the vital air,
Are blessings widely given ;
Let nature's commoners enjoy
The common gifts of heaven.
The well taught philosophic mind
To all compassion gives ;
Casts round the world an equal eye,
And feels for all that lives.
This was the first poem ever written and recorded against animal cruelty. The tragedy for me and the reason it upset me so, is that today the mouse is the least of our worries where animals are concerned and most people see nothing wrong with experiments on lab rats.
If any of you know of any more wonderful poems/vids/music/books against animal abuse that you want to share feel free to post it here. Please remember to give CREDIT to the person who wrote/sung/made it.
Where it Began
Moderator: Isela
Where it Began
"He was a small horse, barely fifteen hands. He was hurting, too. There was a limp in his walk, a wheezing when he breathed. Smith didn't pay attention to that, he was looking the horse in the eye" - SeaBiscuit