Why is the poem written in dialect spelling?

Lowell intentionally mimicked the rural New England speech known as the 'Yankee' vernacular from mid-19th-century Massachusetts. He maintained this voice throughout *The Biglow Papers* to convey moral and political messages through everyday characters instead of learned narrators. This dialect gives the poem the feeling of a tale shared by a neighbor rather than a lecture delivered by a professor.

Who is Deacon Peleg and why does it matter that the goose is his?

Deacon Peleg is a well-regarded member of the church community — a deacon, the same title Israel mockingly used to pressure Joe into going hunting. Shooting a deacon's goose on a Sunday, while also skipping church, adds a twist to the wrongdoing: they're stealing from the very institution they’re actively dissing.

Why does Joe go along even though he thinks it's wrong?

Lowell makes his point clear: Joe is 'less skeered o' doin' wrong / Than bein' laughed at.' He'd prefer to sin than face mockery for his conscience. This is the poem's most striking insight—social embarrassment often outweighs moral conviction for many individuals.

What does 'queen's-arm' mean in the poem?

It's a casual term for a musket or flintlock rifle — a 'queen's arm' or 'king's arm' refers to a military-style long gun. Lowell uses it to add local character and a sense of the time period.

Is this poem part of a larger work?

It's linked to the tradition of Lowell's *Biglow Papers*, his well-known series of dialect poems, although 'A Fable' can hold its own. The playful, self-effacing note at the end—about printing it 'out of no vainglory' to 'do good'—shows Lowell giving a nod to the reader, poking fun at the self-righteous tone often found in moral literature.

What does the ending mean — why does Isrel eat the rotten goose?

It's both the comic payoff and the moral punchline. Isrel was the one pulling the strings all along—he pressured Joe, fired the shot, and pushed for the delay. In the end, he ends up eating spoiled stolen meat and calling it dinner. Joe, who had the most conscience from the start, walks away with nothing. Neither outcome feels like a reward.

What kind of poem is 'A Fable' — what form does it use?

It's crafted in rhyming couplets that follow a loose iambic tetrameter — the same lively, conversational rhythm found in folk ballads and comic poetry. The use of dialect spelling and the story's structure (with a moral lesson) firmly situate it within the American folk-fable tradition.

The Annotated Edition

A FABLE by James Russell Lowell

Summary, meaning, line-by-line analysis & FAQ.

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Two friends sneak away on a Sunday to go hunting and end up shooting a goose that belongs to a local deacon.

Poet: James Russell Lowell
Themes: doubt, growing-up, identity

The PoemFull text

A FABLE

James Russell Lowell

Two fellers, Isrel named and Joe, One Sundy mornin' 'greed to go Agunnin' soon 'z the bells wuz done And meetin' finally begun, So'st no one wouldn't be about Ther Sabbath-breakin' to spy out. Joe didn't want to go a mite; He felt ez though 'twarn't skeercely right, But, when his doubts he went to speak on, Isrel he up and called him Deacon, An' kep' apokin' fun like sin An' then arubbin' on it in, Till Joe, less skeered o' doin' wrong Than bein' laughed at, went along. Past noontime they went trampin' round An' nary thing to pop at found, Till, fairly tired o' their spree, They leaned their guns agin a tree, An' jest ez they wuz settin' down To take their noonin', Joe looked roun' And see (acrost lots in a pond That warn't mor'n twenty rod beyond) A goose that on the water sot Ez ef awaitin' to be shot. Isrel he ups and grabs his gun; Sez he, 'By ginger, here's some fun!' 'Don't fire,' sez Joe, 'it ain't no use, Thet's Deacon Peleg's tame wil'-goose:' Sez Isrel, 'I don't care a cent. I've sighted an' I'll let her went;' _Bang!_ went queen's-arm, ole gander flopped His wings a spell, an' quorked, an' dropped. Sez Joe, 'I wouldn't ha' been hired At that poor critter to ha' fired, But since it's clean gin up the ghost, We'll hev the tallest kind o' roast; I guess our waistbands'll be tight 'Fore it comes ten o'clock ternight.' 'I won't agree to no such bender,' Sez Isrel; 'keep it tell it's tender; 'Tain't wuth a snap afore it's ripe.' Sez Joe, 'I'd jest ez lives eat tripe; You _air_ a buster ter suppose I'd eat what makes me hol' my nose!' So they disputed to an' fro Till cunnin' Isrel sez to Joe, 'Don't le's stay here an' play the fool, Le's wait till both on us git cool, Jest for a day or two le's hide it, An' then toss up an' so decide it.' 'Agreed!' sez Joe, an' so they did, An' the ole goose wuz safely hid. Now 'twuz the hottest kind o' weather, An' when at last they come together, It didn't signify which won, Fer all the mischief hed been done: The goose wuz there, but, fer his soul, Joe wouldn't ha' tetched it with a pole; But Isrel kind o' liked the smell on 't An' made _his_ dinner very well on 't. My own humble attempt was in manner and form following, and I print it here, I sincerely trust, out of no vainglory, but solely with the hope of doing good.

§01Quick summary

What this poem is about

Two friends sneak away on a Sunday to go hunting and end up shooting a goose that belongs to a local deacon. They bicker over whether to eat it fresh or wait, eventually deciding to hide it for a few days. When they return, they discover it's gone bad — although one of them isn’t bothered by the smell and eats it anyway. This comic folk tale in verse illustrates how peer pressure, stubbornness, and moral compromise often lead to unfortunate (or at least smelly) outcomes.

§02Themes

Recurring themes

§03Line by line

Stanza by stanza, with notes

Two fellers, Isrel named and Joe, / One Sundy mornin' 'greed to go
Editor's note
Lowell immerses us in a rural New England setting through thick dialect spelling. The two men are plotting their Sunday hunting trip right in the middle of church service, making sure their timing keeps the community from catching them breaking the Sabbath. The comic tone is established right away—these aren’t villains, just regular guys attempting to avoid social judgment.
Joe didn't want to go a mite; / He felt ez though 'twarn't skeercely right,
Editor's note
Joe has a conscience. He understands that hunting on Sundays is wrong and attempts to voice his concerns. However, Isrel uses mockery as his weapon—he sarcastically refers to Joe as 'Deacon' and continually pokes fun at him until Joe becomes more scared of being ridiculed than of acting unethically. This is the driving force of the poem: social embarrassment takes precedence over true ethical convictions.
Past noontime they went trampin' round / An' nary thing to pop at found,
Editor's note
The hunting trip isn't going well—they don't spot anything to shoot all morning. The fact that they've sacrificed their Sabbath for *nothing* is quite ironic. Just as they settle down to take a break, a goose suddenly appears on a nearby pond, like a temptation set before them.
Isrel he ups and grabs his gun; / Sez he, 'By ginger, here's some fun!'
Editor's note
Joe quickly spots the goose and knows it belongs to Deacon Peleg—a well-respected figure in the community, and a deacon to boot, which brings back the earlier mockery. Isrel isn't bothered; he's already seen the gun and takes his shot. The *Bang!* and the goose's death come across with a stark, almost comical simplicity.
Sez Joe, 'I wouldn't ha' been hired / At that poor critter to ha' fired,
Editor's note
Joe quickly separates himself from the act—he insists he wouldn't have done it for money—but then shifts right to organizing the roast. His moral objection disappears as soon as the action is complete and there's something to gain. This hypocrisy is subtle yet sharp.
'I won't agree to no such bender,' / Sez Isrel; 'keep it tell it's tender;
Editor's note
Now the two argue about *when* to eat the goose. Isrel wants to age it, while Joe finds the smell revolting. Their bickering over the spoils of a stolen, Sabbath-breaking kill is hilariously ironic—they’ve both done something wrong, but they can’t even agree on how to enjoy it.
So they disputed to an' fro / Till cunnin' Isrel sez to Joe,
Editor's note
Isrel suggests putting the goose away for a day or two and then deciding with a coin flip. The word 'cunnin'' (cunning) is a subtle hint — Isrel is aware of his strategy. Joe goes along with it, and the goose gets tucked away. It seems like a fair compromise, but really, it's just postponing the issue and complicating things further.
Now 'twuz the hottest kind o' weather, / An' when at last they come together,
Editor's note
The punchline: the goose has completely rotted in the summer heat. The coin toss is pointless now because no sane person would eat it — except for Isrel, who 'kind o' liked the smell of it and eats it anyway. Joe ends up with nothing. The moral comes through without a single preachy word: their Sabbath-breaking, theft, cowardice, and squabbling led to exactly nothing good — except for one man with very low standards.

§04Tone & mood

How this poem feels

The tone is humorously warm and gently satirical. Lowell captures rural New England vernacular with perfect accuracy, and the humor is light-hearted — it’s the kind of knowing laugh you get from observing people make familiar human errors. Beneath the comedy lies a dry moral seriousness: the poem is literally titled a fable, and it truly earns that title by allowing the consequences to convey the moral.

§05Symbols & metaphors

Symbols & metaphors

The goose: The goose represents the classic 'forbidden fruit' — owned by a deacon (of all people), it appears just when temptation is strongest, and ultimately becomes rotted and useless. It symbolizes any ill-gotten gain that seems attractive at first but ultimately leads to nothing.
The Sabbath / Sunday morning: Sunday isn't merely another day of the week here; it's the backbone of our community's moral expectations. Skipping out during church service is seen as the first act of cowardice that triggers everything else.
The coin toss: Leaving a moral question to chance is a way of avoiding moral responsibility. The coin toss illustrates how people hide behind 'fairness' to dodge accountability — and in this case, it makes no difference, as the goose spoils before the toss even matters.
The smell: The scent in the poem closely follows the theme of moral decay. Joe's repulsion towards the decaying goose reflects his earlier, though quickly buried, disgust for breaking the Sabbath and stealing. Isrel's acceptance of the smell reveals his deeper moral indifference.

§06Historical context

Historical context

James Russell Lowell published *The Biglow Papers* (First Series, 1848) to satirize the Mexican-American War, using a fictional Yankee farmer named Hosea Biglow to express the skepticism of New England's everyday people. "A Fable" fits into this tradition of dialect verse—a style Lowell helped establish in American literature. By writing in phonetic New England speech, he aimed to elevate the moral authority of ordinary rural voices over that of educated elites. Although Lowell was a Harvard professor and later a diplomat, the dialect was more of a literary disguise than his natural way of speaking. The poem's introductory note, describing the author’s "humble attempt" to "do good," serves as a humorous jab, echoing the characters' own self-serving justifications. This fable tradition traces back to Aesop and La Fontaine, yet it is firmly rooted in an American context.

§07FAQ

Questions readers ask

The poem doesn’t explicitly give a moral, which is part of the humor in referring to it as a fable. Still, the lesson is evident: when you let the fear of being ridiculed take precedence over your sense of right and wrong, and you choose to participate in something you know is wrong, only to squabble over the results, you end up with nothing. The decayed goose symbolizes the consequences of every poor choice the two men made.

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A FABLE by James Russell Lowell

A FABLE

What this poem is about

Recurring themes

Stanza by stanza, with notes

How this poem feels

Symbols & metaphors

Historical context

Questions readers ask

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