 | Poetry of the Farm and Rural Life |  |
The Miller's turn came next to try,
And he essayed a foolish lie
About the rats, or one great rat
That in his mill lived sleek and fat;
Watch'd him in all he had to do,
Was tame, and very knowing, too.
He said the rat, time and again,
Had sat and watched the grinding grain,
Perched on the hopper; and if he
Forgot to take toll properly,
The rat would squeak and fidget round,
Until the toll dish it had found;
Select the right one, and would bring it
If small; if large, the rat would sling it.
And he essayed a foolish lie
About the rats, or one great rat
That in his mill lived sleek and fat;
Watch'd him in all he had to do,
Was tame, and very knowing, too.
He said the rat, time and again,
Had sat and watched the grinding grain,
Perched on the hopper; and if he
Forgot to take toll properly,
The rat would squeak and fidget round,
Until the toll dish it had found;
Select the right one, and would bring it
If small; if large, the rat would sling it.
| Poetry of the Farm and Rural Life | |