That hapless lover ever tried this leap;
But, so much have I heard, that an old cow,
Moved by some cause which never can be known,
Approached too near the brink, perhaps to graze
Upon the scanty grass, or the wild box
Which grew among its fissures, and, sad fate!
By a misstep, losing her balance, fell,
And lost her precious life; precious, no doubt
To some good, thrifty farmer’s wife, whose store
Of wholesome milk was thus diminished quite.