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The accident of birth.
Saint Nicholas
used to send, so I am told,
All new-born babes by storks, in days of old.
All new-born babes by storks, in days of old.
1
King Friedrich Max of Stultzenmannenkim,For many years unto ye Saint did pray,
That he would send unto his Queen and him,
A baby boy, to be ye King some day.
At last ye Saint ye King's petition heard,
And called to him a sober long-legged bird.
2
Quoth he, “Good Wilhelm Stork (such was its name),Here is a baby boy to take away.
It is for Fritz; so bear him to ye same,
Or rather to his Queen, without delay.
For one grows weary when one always hears
Ye same words daily dinning in one's ears.”
3
Now Wilhelm Stork was old, and dull of wits,For age not always sharpens wisdom much,
So what does he but bear ye gift to Fritz
Ye cobbler, who had half a score of such.
And so ye baby, through a blunder, passed
From being first of all, unto—ye last.
4
From this I gather that a new-born Prince,From new-born cobbler's somewhat hard to know,
For which of us could tell ye difference, since
One thus experienced was mistaken so?
Also, perhaps, I should be great, instead
Of writing thus, to earn my daily bread
H. P. MDCCCLXXXIII
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