The poetical works of John Godfrey Saxe :: :: University of Virginia Library

The animals once,—so the legends report,—
To honor the Lion, their popular king,
A concert proposed, in his majesty's court,
At which all the brutes were invited to sing.

Not all,—I should say, as a lover of truth,—
For somehow or other the managers missed
The principal matter, and managed, in sooth,
To have the best singers left out of the list!

Not a Nightingale, Wood-Thrush, or Blackbird was in it;
Nay, even the Lark and Canary were slighted;
No mention was made of the musical Linnet;
But all of the others were warmly invited!

There was plenty of jealousy, you may be sure,
And wrangling enough,—as is always the case
When the cleverest maestro attempts to secure
For each of his singers the properest place.

'T is settled at last; the rehearsal is done;
And now for the Concert the vocalists meet,
With no fear of failure, for every one
What he 's wanting, in talent makes up in conceit!

A couple of Hornets the tenor essayed;
The Crickets attempted the treble and alto;
The basso (of course) by a Donkey was brayed;
While to Locusts and Frogs was assigned the contralto!

The singers commence!—but no answering cheers
Reward their endeavors,—the audience swore
(While some ran away and some stopt up their ears)
That never was music so murdered before!

At this, the performers, abating their noise,
Sought, each for himself, some ingenious excuse;
And straight on his fellows with vigor employs
The fiercest reproaches and foulest abuse.

The Frogs said the Crickets were quite out of place;
Such villainous treble they never had heard;
The Crickets replied by denouncing the bass;
A Donkey sing bass?—it was truly absurd!

“'T was the fault of the Frogs!” was the Donkey's reply;
“'T is clearly the Hornets'!” the Locusts exclaim;

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The Hornets returned, “'T is a thundering lie!”
And on their accusers retorted the blame.

Then the King of the Beasts, who could bear it no more,
Looked down from his throne, with a growl and a grin,
And thus spoke his mind, in a terrible roar,
Which silenced at once their obstreperous din:—

“Go!—out of my hearing, ye ignorant crew;
Ere it came to the trial, each impudent wight
Was boasting the wonderful things he could do;
Quick! out of my hearing and out of my sight!”

MORAL.

So in human affairs, when pretenders, who once
In arrogant boasting had vied with each other,
Meet a common disaster,—then every dunce
Excuses himself by accusing another!