James McIntyre

James McIntyre was a Canadian poet, most notable for his poetry concerning cheese, cheese-making, dairying, and dairy products. Often referred to as 'The Cheese Poet,' McIntyre's work is celebrated for its earnestness and unintentional humor, making him both a beloved and an infamous figure in literary circles. He emigrated from Scotland to Canada in 1851 and settled in Ingersoll, Ontario, where he became a successful businessman and community leader.

May 25, 1828

March 31, 1906

English

James McIntyre

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A Bird's Nest.

        An old man who had charge of field,
        With pride he saw two birds did build,
        A broad capacious warm nest,
        So full of young with speckled breast,

        And when the old man there did pass,
        They soon ran merry 'mong the grass,
        But of the youth they were so shy,
        They made strong efforts for to fly.

        Youths tried with old man to prevail,
        To let them blaze away at quail,
        But though they longed for a fat pot,
        At them they never got a shot.

        No more the old man doth them shield,
        For they have flown to broader field,
        Long may they spread their wings and tail,
        And may no foe them 'ere assail.

James McIntyre

Adventures With Bears.

        I bought of land two miles square,
        I knew not it contained a bear,
        I never thought there would be any,
        But alas, I found many;
        The bush was thick and mat and tangle,
        It made it a perfect jungle,
        But one mile square of good dry land
        Was enough for me to take in hand;
        Swamp I could reach but when frozen,
        Then I saw bears by the dozen,
        Thick as monkies in Africa,
        And many a strange trick I saw,
        Gamboling with the greatest ease,
        High up the trunks of the big trees,
        While some were swinging from branches
        And hanging on them with their haunches;
        But quietly I then tilled my farm,
        The bears at first done me no harm,

James McIntyre

Advice To A Little Girl.

The following lines were written at the request of a little girl, who said she would recite them at a Sunday School entertainment. Prof. J. S. Blackie of Edinburgh, in a letter acknowledging the receipt of my book, said he considered this piece worthy of being committed to memory in the public schools. Sir Daniel Wilson of Toronto University also approves of them as containing good sentiments and should be impressed on the minds of the young.


        Dressing in fashion will be called vain,
        And they'll call you a dowdy if you are plain,
        But do what is right, let that be the test,
        Then proudly hold up your head with the best.
                        For people will talk.

        You will never be wrong if you do what is right,
        And this course pursue with a...

James McIntyre

Agricultural Implements.

        Poor laborers they did sad bewail,
        When the machine displaced the flail,
        There's little work now with the hoes.
        Since cultivators weed the rows.

        Labor it became more fickle,
        When the scythe took place of sickle,
        Labor still it did sink lower,
        By introduction of mower.

        And the work was done much cheaper
        When they added on the reaper,
        Another machine to it they join,
        Mower, reaper, binder, all combine.

        Machines now load and stow away,
        Both the barley and the hay,
        And the farmers do get richer
        With the loader and the pitcher.

        There's very few men now hand sows,
        No more broad cast the grain it ...

James McIntyre

All Men Are Brothers.

        We are in ancient stories told,
        All were brothers in days of old,
        But these with facts they do not chime
        For all mankind do love the dime,
        And worship the mighty dollar,
        And admire the golden collar,
        The rich man's washed with whitest lime,
        The poor man's cover'd o'er with slime,
        But we should try to love each other
        And treat each man as our brother.

James McIntyre

American Poets.

        Like fruit that's large and ripe and mellow,
        Sweet and luscious is Longfellow,
        Melodious songs he oft did pour
        And high was his Excelsior.
        He shows in his Psalm of Life
        The folly of our selfish strife,
        With Hiawatha we bewail
        His suffering in great Indian tale.
        Indian nation was forlorn
        Till great spirit planted corn;
        His story of Evangeline
        It is a tale of love divine.

James McIntyre

Baby Darling.

        A miner in California mine,
        For his distant home he did repine,
        In a far off Eastern state,
        Where did live his own dear mate.

        And one great source of all his joy,
        His little darling baby boy,
        One night to drive his cares away
        To concert hall his footsteps stray.

        And loud resounding o'er the hall,
        He heard a little boy squall,
        The sweetest music he e'er heard,
        Sweeter far than singing bird.

        For his thoughts it caused to roam,
        To his distant eastern home,
        Near to the mine there were no trace
        Of baby dear or woman's face.

        When violinist with his bow
        Did make exquisite music flow,
        ...

James McIntyre

Beachville.

        Of Beachville, village of the plain,
        We now will sing a short refrain,
        For here the Thames doth pleasant flow,
        And charm to landscape doth bestow;
        Though river here it is not deep,
        Yet banks slope graceful up the steep,
        And from the summit of the hills
        You look down on the famed lime kilns,
        And 'tis full worthy poet's rhyme
        The whiteness of your pure white lime,
        Your glory never shall be gone
        While you have quarries of this stone,
        In influence you yet will wax
        With mills for flour and also flax.

James McIntyre

Bear And Falls.

        Strange incidents do happen ever
        On the famed Niagara river,
        This thought to mind it now recalls
        Event three miles above the falls.

        Thrilling ventures there abound,
        A bear which weighed eight hundred pounds,
        Hunters they do him discover
        As he was swimming down the river.

        They felt he would be glorious prize
        This grand fat bear of mighty size,
        Three men they jump'd into canoe,
        A skilful and determined crew.

        Soon alongside of him they row,
        But kindly feelings he doth show,
        Quick he scrambled o'er the boat side
        For to enjoy a good boat ride.

        And as o'er the side he straddles
        They hit him on he...

James McIntyre

Bear And Whale.

A fable of the British and Russian dispute of 1885.


        Russians suffer sad distress
        For lack of freedom of the press,
        But oft' times they are full able
        To enlighten with a fable.

        And they enjoy a humorous tale
        Of a bear and monster whale,
        The bear he went to the sea shore
        The mighty ocean to explore.

        And this it quick enraged the whale
        Who beat the ocean with his tail,
        With foaming words he told the bear
        That he would strip his hide and hair.

        If he ever found him more
        Encroaching on his sea shore,
        The bear replied I will not quail
        At frothing words of any whale.

        For you are a lump of blubb...

James McIntyre

Bear Hunt.

        Two youths came over from York state,
        Bill Brown and Tom Dawes his mate,
        For many months they were wishing
        The sport of hunting and of fishing.

        They rowed along the lake in punt,
        When tired of fishing they would hunt,
        At river's mouth they caught fine trout,
        In woods close by they saw bear's snout.

        In front of her play little chubs,
        Fat and slick her darling cubs,
        Kind thoughts in their breasts they smother
        And cruelly they shoot the mother.

        And bullet fearful tore her jaws,
        A bloody wound, but with her paws,
        Erect in air an awful sight,
        She was prepared for her young to fight.

        But this did not daunt bo...

James McIntyre

Big Bear The Indian Chief.

The following impromptu was given at a banquet to one of the captives of Fort Pit after he had related his experience.


        Sad memories it doth awake,
        The death of those fell at Frog Lake,
        And trials of captives of Fort Pit
        When savages did capture it.

        But soon Generals Strange and Steel
        Made savage hordes their power to feel,
        And they rescued women fair
        From the paws of the Big Bear.

        Captives for days had naught to eat
        But steaks of tough and lean dog meat,
        In daily danger of their lives
        From bullets and from scalping knives.

        When building big lodge for war dance,
        The cry is heard, the troops advance,
        To the white captiv...

James McIntyre

Bird Sent By Providence.

        A poor man stood beside his door,
        His sad fate for to deplore,
        For landlord's heart would not relent,
        And seized his furniture for rent.

        He hears song sweet as from fairy,
        And soon he sees a canary,
        Into his cage it did alight
        And poured forth notes sweet and bright.

        But owner of the bird did mourn,
        And sadly longed for its return,
        Without it she found no delight,
        So she did landlord's bill requite.

        The poor man thinks the bird was sent
        By the Lord to pay up his rent,
        And he now stout maintains from thence
        That there is a kind Providence.

James McIntyre

Birth Of Canada As A Nation, July First, 1867.

        Hail Britannia's noblest daughter,
        Who is surrounded by the water
        Of many a lake and broad sea,
        Land of beaver and of maple tree.

        Her lofty brow is wreathed with smiles,
        For from the far Atlantic isles
        In pomp have come their delegates,
        All seeking to unite their fates.

        With Canada great northern queen,
        And now throughout the land is seen,
        High festival and stately dance,
        Triumphant nuptials to advance.

        And soon shall Red River valley
        And distant Vancouver rally,
        To form this Empire gigantic
        From Pacific to Atlantic.

James McIntyre

Brain Engravings.

Brain Engravings.


        Great wonder is the human brain,
        How it impressions doth retain,
        Inscribed on it are autographs,
        And there is also photographs.

        And every hill and plain and nook,
        It is deep graven in this book,
        A great variety here belongs,
        Snatches of sermons and of songs.

        Here you'll find are numerous themes,
        Both mighty thoughts and foolish dreams,
        Here love and hope so bright and fair,
        There hate and doubt and dark despair.

        And here is too the bower of bliss,
        Where youthful lovers first did kiss,
        Here are memories of childhood
        And of old ages thoughtful mood.

        View well the whole, ...

James McIntyre

Brantford.

In these sketches of towns in Southern Ontario we are not vain enough to suppose that because we have produced some lines thereon that said rhymes are poetry. If we furnish an occasional poetic gleam like a dewdrop sparkling in the sun, it is all we dare hope for.


        Brantford as thriving city's famed,
        And after Indian Chief is named,
        And here the sparkling Grand River
        It doth flow a joy forever.

        Campbell he sang a dismal tale
        Of horrors of Wyoming's vale,
        The tale one's mind doth ever haunt,
        The cruelties of monster Brant.

        But the Chief's son to England went
        And Campbell to him did lament,
        And all the tale he did recant
        About cruel butcheries of Brant.

...

James McIntyre

Broken Raft Adventure.

        A man on Nova Scotian Bay
        On broken raft was borne away,
        Right out on the open sea
        Where the storm did blow so free,
        No shelter from the wind or wave
        He thought the gulf would be his grave,
        He had no food life to sustain,
        He laid him down there to remain,
        What happened he did know no more,
        But old man on Prince Edward's shore
        Saw raft drifting near his shed
        And thought the poor man was quite dead,
        He called for help and soon they bore
        His lifeless body to the shore,
        But old man he did them desire
        To place the body near the fire,
        And wrap it up in blankets warm,
        Which did act like to a charm,
        And soon ...

James McIntyre

Bryant.

        Some in front rank will defiant,
        Boldly place the poet Bryant.

James McIntyre

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