The first man who ever saw a Camel
Fled from this new strange new thing;
The second came closer, the third dared to make
A halter for the Dromedary.
Custom thus renders everything familiar,
What once seemed to us terrible and odd
Becomes humdrum in our eyes.
When it is constantly before us.
And since we are on this subject, I recall
That some people sent to stand watch,
Who saw on the waters from afar a certain object,
Could not help but say
That it was a powerful ship.
Moments later, the object became a *fireboat,
Then nacelle, and then bale,
In the end it was only driftwood upon the waves.
Envoi
I've known many people in this world
To whom this would apply:
From afar it is something big,
and close it is nothing.
*Fireboat- Brûlot--was usually an old barge, denoting here
to be a lesser vessel from the powerful ship mentioned
in the preceding line.
