Pismire Agonistes

One time an ant
Aspired to strength
Of elephant,
Did exercises, sweat,
Became at length
Mightiest of his kind,
Had in Antland bruit
Of lifting pea, then grape;
Still kept in mind
Hard facts of muscle gap:
His anguished feats compared
To plucking up of trees,
Playfully, by proboscises;
Never despaired,
Had only scorn
For sloth unmanly, trained
To lift large acorn;
In last effort, strained
Terrifically,
Won, against odds, success
At cost of his doom,
For smilingly
The great heart burst;
Dying, had access
Of wisdom,
Said, in final minute,
“Is this, then, worst?”
Found no cause to beat breast,
Having done best
In world with elephants in it.