{
 "id": "james-mcintyre/oxford-cheese-ode",
 "title": "Oxford Cheese Ode",
 "ordinal": null,
 "subtitle": null,
 "poet": "James McIntyre",
 "poet_slug": "james-mcintyre",
 "language": "en",
 "book": "Musings on the Banks of Canadian Thames",
 "book_slug": "musings-on-the-banks-of-canadian-thames",
 "book_kind": "volume",
 "sequence": 30,
 "container": null,
 "epigraph": null,
 "first_published": {
  "year": 1884,
  "venue": "Musings on the Banks of Canadian Thames (1884)",
  "note": "First located printing is this volume; an earlier periodical printing has not been established.",
  "uncertain": false,
  "sources": [
   "https://archive.org/details/cihm_09542"
  ]
 },
 "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": 42,
  "n_stanzas": 7,
  "n_parts": 0,
  "longest_line_chars": 43,
  "max_indent": 0
 },
 "site_ready": true,
 "parts": [],
 "stanzas": [
  [
   {
    "text": "The ancient poets ne’er did dream",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "That Canada was land of cream,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "They ne’er imagined it could flow",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "In this cold land of ice and snow,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Where everything did solid freeze,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "They ne’er hoped or looked for cheese.",
    "indent": 0
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "A few years since our Oxford farms",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Were nearly robbed of all their charms,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "O’er cropped the weary land grew poor",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "And nearly barren as a moor,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "But now their owners live at ease",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Rejoicing in their crop of cheese.",
    "indent": 0
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "And since they justly treat the soil,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Are well rewarded for their toil,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "The land enriched by goodly cows",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Yields plenty now to fill their mows,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Both wheat and barley, oats and peas,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "But still their greatest boast is cheese.",
    "indent": 0
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "Cow, you must treat her as a Queen,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "When grass is dry cut her feed green;",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "8he will repay you for your toiling",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "For there’s profit in the soiling,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Its benefits one daily sees",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Who takes an interest in the cheese.",
    "indent": 0
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "And you must careful fill your mows",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "With good provender for your cows,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "And in the winter keep them warm,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Protect them safe all time from harm,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "For cows do dearly love their ease,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Which doth insure best grade of cheese.",
    "indent": 0
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "To us it is a glorious theme",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "To sing of milk and curds and cream,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Were it collected it could float",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "On its bosom, small steam boat,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Cows numerous as swarm of bees",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Are milked in Oxford to make cheese.",
    "indent": 0
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "To prove the wealth that here abounds,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "One cheese weighed eight thousand pounds,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Had it been hung in air at noon",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Folks would have thought it was the moon,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "It sailed with triumph o’er the seas,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "’Twas hailed with welcome, queen of cheese.",
    "indent": 0
   }
  ]
 ]
}