| Edmund Clarence Stedman, ed. (1833–1908). An American Anthology, 1787–1900. 1900. |
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| 259. Cacoëthes Scribendi |
| | | By Oliver Wendell Holmes |
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| IF all the trees in all the woods were men; | |
| And each and every blade of grass a pen; | |
| If every leaf on every shrub and tree | |
| Turned to a sheet of foolscap; every sea | |
| Were changed to ink, and all earth’s living tribes | 5 |
| Had nothing else to do but act as scribes, | |
| And for ten thousand ages, day and night, | |
| The human race should write, and write, and write, | |
| Till all the pens and paper were used up, | |
| And the huge inkstand was an empty cup, | 10 |
| Still would the scribblers clustered round its brink | |
| Call for more pens, more paper, and more ink. | |
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