The poetical works of John Godfrey Saxe Household Edition : with illustrations |
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THE BEE AND THE CUCKOO.
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 | The poetical works of John Godfrey Saxe |  |
THE BEE AND THE CUCKOO.
YRIARTE.
A Bee, whose dainty ear had grownQuite weary of the monotone
Which ever from the Cuckoo's throat
Repeated one unvarying note,
At last besought the tiresome bird,
For mercy's sake, to change the word;
“'T is ‘Cuckoo! Cuckoo!’ all day long!
Pray, cease your egotistic song:
It makes me nervous, sooth to say,
And quite unfits to work or play!”
“You call my song monotonous?
Well, since you choose to make a fuss
About my singing, tell me why
(Exclaimed the Cuckoo, in reply)
Your honey-cells you always frame
Alike,—in size and shape the same?
If I'm monotonous,—confess
The fault you find is yours no less!”
“Nay!” said the Bee, “a thing of use
Has in its worth a fair excuse
For many a fault that else would be
A hateful thing to hear or see;
While arts designed to please the taste
With varied beauties must be graced;
And, lacking these, they serve alone
To pain us,—like your ‘Cuckoo tone!”
| The poetical works of John Godfrey Saxe | |