As if to thank them for each gift,
With tender, touching care,
The boys he to his back would lift,
And still caress them there.

In short his placid gambols seem'd
Affection so profound,
His friendship for this man was deem'd
A wonder all around.

But O! can humour's giddy range
Mislead the brutal mind?
Can elephants their friendship change,
As fickle as mankind?

See now the hero of my song,
That theme of every tongue!
Alone, and fierce, he stalks along,
As if with frenzy stung:

See! to the gard'ner's well-known shed
Impetuous he flies;
Seizes his friend in silent dread,
And lifts him to the skies.

High as his trunk the man can bear,
Th' astonish'd man he bore,
Who vainly struggled in the air,
And trembled more and more.