{
 "id": "james-mcintyre/bear-and-whale",
 "title": "Bear and Whale",
 "ordinal": null,
 "subtitle": null,
 "poet": "James McIntyre",
 "poet_slug": "james-mcintyre",
 "language": "en",
 "book": "Poems of James McIntyre",
 "book_slug": "poems-of-james-mcintyre",
 "book_kind": "volume",
 "sequence": null,
 "container": null,
 "epigraph": null,
 "first_published": {
  "year": 1889,
  "venue": "Poems of James McIntyre (1889)",
  "note": "First located printing is this volume; an earlier periodical printing has not been established.",
  "uncertain": false,
  "sources": [
   "https://archive.org/details/cihm_11791"
  ]
 },
 "source": {
  "kind": "standard-ebooks",
  "repo": "standardebooks/james-mcintyre_poetry",
  "file": "poetry.xhtml",
  "upstream": [
   "https://archive.org/details/cihm_09542",
   "https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/36068",
   "https://archive.org/details/cihm_11791"
  ],
  "rights": "public domain (SE dedication; underlying text pre-1931)"
 },
 "verification": {
  "level": "structural-only",
  "last_checked": "2026-08-20"
 },
 "stats": {
  "n_lines": 32,
  "n_stanzas": 8,
  "n_parts": 0,
  "longest_line_chars": 43,
  "max_indent": 0
 },
 "site_ready": true,
 "parts": [],
 "stanzas": [
  [
   {
    "text": "Russians suffer sad distress",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "For lack of freedom of the press,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "But oft’ times they are full able",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "To enlighten with a fable.",
    "indent": 0
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "And they enjoy a humorous tale",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Of a bear and monster whale,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "The bear he went to the sea shore",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "The mighty ocean to explore.",
    "indent": 0
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "And this it quick enraged the whale",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Who beat the ocean with his tail,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "With foaming words he told the bear",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "That he would strip his hide and hair.",
    "indent": 0
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "If he ever found him more",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Encroaching on his sea shore,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "The bear replied I will not quail",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "At frothing words of any whale.",
    "indent": 0
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "For you are a lump of blubber,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Whale rejoined you are land lubber,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Thus bandying epithets so vile,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Of bear grease and of whale oil.",
    "indent": 0
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "Sharks and fishes of the ocean",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Were thrown into great commotion,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "The hawks and eagles of the air,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Lions and tigers gathered there.",
    "indent": 0
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "Bear he wished the whale to slaughter,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "But he was afraid of water,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "The great whale feared that he might strand",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "If he ventured on the dry land.",
    "indent": 0
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "So at last great Russia Bear",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Went back again to his own lair,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "And British whale content to be",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Greatest monarch of the sea.",
    "indent": 0
   }
  ]
 ]
}