Epitaph on a Hare

by William Cowper (1784) — a poem card from Justes Mots

A grave dug for a timid house-pet, kept and loved against every expectation.

Here lies, whom hound did ne'er pursue,
Nor swifter greyhound follow,
Whose foot ne'er tainted morning dew,
Nor ear heard huntsman's halloo;

Old Tiney, surliest of his kind,
Who, nursed with tender care,
And to domestic bounds confined,…

Themes: pet-loss · grief