The Milkmaid-J. Taylor

THE MILKMAID

A milkmaid, who poised a full pail on her head,

Thus mused on her prospects in life, it is said:

'Let me see-I should think that this milk will 

procure

One hundred good eggs, or fourscore, to be sure.

Well then-stop a bit-it must not be forgotten,

Some of these, may be broken, and some may be,

rotten,

But if twenty for accident should be detached,

It will leave me just sixty sound eggs to be hatched.

'Well, sixty sound eggs-no, sound chickens, I

mean:

Of these some may die-we'll suppose seventeen.

Seventeen! not so many-say ten at the most,

Which will leave fifty chickens to boil or to roast.

'Six shillings a pair-five-four-three-and-six.

To prevent all mistakes, that low price I will fix:

Now what will that make? Fifty chickens, I said-

That makes twenty-five pair-O, alas my poor

head!

'Twenty-five pair of fowls-now, how tiresome it is

That I can't reckon up such money as this!

Well, there's no use in trying, so lets' give a guess:

I'll say twenty Pounds, and it cannot be less.

Twenty pounds, I am certain, will buy me cow,

Thirty geese and two turkeys, eight pigs and a sow;

Now if these turn out well, at the end of the year,

I shall fill both my pockets with guineas, 'tis clear.'

Forgetting her burden, when this she had said,

'The maiden unthinkingly tossed up her head;

When, alas for her prospects!-her milk-pail de-

scended,

And so all her schemes for the future were ended.

J. TAYLOR

Summary: 'The Milkmaid' by J. Taylor is a poem that tells the story of a milkmaid who is lost in her thoughts while carrying a full pail of milk on her head. She starts calculating the potential earnings from selling her milk, eggs, and chickens, and even imagines buying cows, geese, pigs, and turkeys. However, she becomes so absorbed in her plans that she tosses her head in excitement, and the pail falls off her head, spilling all the milk. As a result, all her dreams and calculations for the future come to an end. The poem is a cautionary tale about the danger of being too preoccupied with the future, to the point of neglecting the present, and the importance of staying focused and mindful of our actions.