Comic Tales and Lyrical Fancies including The Chessiad, a Mock-Heroic, in Five Cantos; and The Wreath of Love, in Four Cantos. By C. Dibdin, the Younger |
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THE ASS AND THE MULE;
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 | Comic Tales and Lyrical Fancies |  |
97
THE ASS AND THE MULE;
OR, TRYING EXPERIMENTS.
A mule and an ass with their packages full,
The mule carried salt and the ass carried wool,
Once pleasantly jogg'd on together;
They'd to ford a small river, and when it was cross'd
The mule frisk'd about, and his head up he toss'd,
For, somehow, most part of his load he had lost,
And his heart was as light as a feather.
The mule carried salt and the ass carried wool,
Once pleasantly jogg'd on together;
They'd to ford a small river, and when it was cross'd
The mule frisk'd about, and his head up he toss'd,
For, somehow, most part of his load he had lost,
And his heart was as light as a feather.
Said the ass, as the mule made light of the road,
“Pray, how, my good friend, have you lighten'd your load;
For, somehow, we can't keep together?”
Said the mule, “In the river I made a long halt,
Stoop'd down, and the water dissolved half the salt:”
Replied Jack, “At next river I won't be at fault,
Then my heart will be light as a feather.”
“Pray, how, my good friend, have you lighten'd your load;
For, somehow, we can't keep together?”
Said the mule, “In the river I made a long halt,
Stoop'd down, and the water dissolved half the salt:”
Replied Jack, “At next river I won't be at fault,
Then my heart will be light as a feather.”
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Poor Jack chuckled much at the thought of the plan,
And, reaching the river, to try it began,
Went in with heart light as a feather:
The wool, sucking water, augmented its weight;
The ass, overburthen'd, learn'd wisdom too late,
And, dropping, bewailing his folly and fate,
His labour and life lost together.
And, reaching the river, to try it began,
Went in with heart light as a feather:
The wool, sucking water, augmented its weight;
The ass, overburthen'd, learn'd wisdom too late,
And, dropping, bewailing his folly and fate,
His labour and life lost together.
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