It must be sweet to be a dog;
To have no longing, no desire,
For aught save food, the sun and wind,
The cheerful fire.
To love one master, serve him well;
Be kicked, abused, left bleeding, sore;
Then at his call to leap for joy,
And love him more!
To eat crumbs, and be satisfied;
To lie and moan outside his door,
In torment till he open it,
Then, love him more!
To tremble at his slightest frown;
To shiver for pardon at his feet;
Forgiven, to thrill with ecstasy;
It must be sweet!
“A Mood” as it appears in Higginson’s The Voice of April-Land and Other Poems (1903).