As oft to miss the mark they drive at,
And though well aimed at duck or plover,
Bear wide, and kick their owners over." - Meaning and context.">
QuotesCosmos
Canto i, line 93.
“

But as some muskets so contrive it
As oft to miss the mark they drive at,
And though well aimed at duck or plover,
Bear wide, and kick their owners over.

— John Trumbull (poet)

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "But as some muskets so contrive it
As oft to miss the mark they drive at,
And though well aimed at duck or plover,
Bear wide, and kick their owners over." in the context of "Canto i, line 93." to mean that wisdom is timeless.

Source: Wikiquote: "John Trumbull (poet)" (Quotes, McFingal (1775-1782)) The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app

Tags

#John Trumbull (poet)#ploverbear#contrive#muskets#though#owners#drive#atand#aimed#itas#miss#mark
John Trumbull (poet)

About John Trumbull (poet)

John Trumbull (April 24, 1750 – May 11, 1831) was an American poet born in what is now Watertown, Connecticut, where his father was a Congregational preacher.