The paper tigers roar at noon;
The sun is hot, the sun is high.
They roar in chorus, not in tune,
Their plaintive, savage hunting cry.
O, when you hear them, stop your ears
And clench your lids and bite your tongue.
The harmless paper tiger bears
Strong fascination for the young.
His forest is the busy street;
His dens the forum and the mart;
He drinks no blood, he tastes no meat:
He riddles and corrupts the heart.
But when the dusk begins to creep
From tree to tree, from door to door,
The jungle tiger wakes from sleep
And utters his authentic roar.
It bursts the night and shakes the stars
Till one breaks blazing from the sky;
Then listen! If to meet it soars
Your heart's reverberating cry,
My child, then put aside your fear:
Unbar the door and walk outside!
The real tiger waits you there;
His golden eyes shall be your guide.
And, should he spare you in his wrath,
The world and all the worlds are yours;
And should he leap the jungle path
And clasp you with his bloody jaws,
Then say, as his divine embrace
Destroys the mortal parts of you:
I too am of that royal race
Who do what we are born to do.
Notes
At noon the paper tigers roar
— Miroslav Holub
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One Interpretation
From guest Charlotte (contact)
Sally My English teacher read my class this poem the day we left school in 1995 and I often think of it. For me, it is a warning for the young against being sucked into the materialistic business world (those who have been are 'Paper Tigers') and an encouragement to instead go and see the world and enjoy it. I think the use of the 'Paper Tiger' implies that those who get buried in a mountain of paper (read office grind) and the routine of daily life without looking around them are missing out on life's true design. I'm sure the poem means many different things to different people but this is how I've always read it. -
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I like your interpretation and yes, I can see other meanings in it too, but all centering around what is real and what only roars like a tiger, but with no real bite.
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The title is "The Tiger" but could that serve as sybolism?
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