 | Studies from the Antique and Sketches from Nature |  |
256
THE LITTLE MAN.
There was a little, very little,
Quiet little man,
He wore a little overcoat
The colour of the tan;
And when his weekly wage was earned
On Saturday at night,
He had but half-a-crown to spare
To keep his spirit light;
“But that,”;quoth he, and twirled his thumb,
So blithe he was, and free,
“Is quite enough for happiness
For a little man like me.”
Quiet little man,
He wore a little overcoat
The colour of the tan;
And when his weekly wage was earned
On Saturday at night,
He had but half-a-crown to spare
To keep his spirit light;
“But that,”;quoth he, and twirled his thumb,
So blithe he was, and free,
“Is quite enough for happiness
For a little man like me.”
257
And oft this little, very little,
Happy little man,
Would talk a little to himself
About the great world's plan:
“Though people think me very poor,
I feel I'm very glad,
And this I'm sure could scarcely be
If I were very bad.
Rich knaves who cannot rest o' nights
At every turn I see,
While cosy sleep unbidden comes
To a quiet man like me.
Happy little man,
Would talk a little to himself
About the great world's plan:
“Though people think me very poor,
I feel I'm very glad,
And this I'm sure could scarcely be
If I were very bad.
Rich knaves who cannot rest o' nights
At every turn I see,
While cosy sleep unbidden comes
To a quiet man like me.
“For though I'm little, very little,
Do whate'er I can,
Yet every morning when I shave
I shave an honest man;
And every night when I go home,
My winsome little wife,
Receives me smiling at the door,
And loves me more than life:—
And this is joy that kings themselves,
If thoughts were spoken free,
Might give their sceptres to exchange
With a little man like me.
Do whate'er I can,
Yet every morning when I shave
I shave an honest man;
And every night when I go home,
My winsome little wife,
Receives me smiling at the door,
And loves me more than life:—
258
If thoughts were spoken free,
Might give their sceptres to exchange
With a little man like me.
“And I've a little, quite a little,
Bonnie little child,
A little maid with golden hair,
And blue eyes bright and mild;
She sits and prattles on my knee,
She's merry as a song,
She's pleasant as a ray of light,
She keeps my heart from wrong.
And so, let kingdoms rise or fall,
I'll earn my daily fee,
And think the world is good enough
For a little man like me.”
Bonnie little child,
A little maid with golden hair,
And blue eyes bright and mild;
She sits and prattles on my knee,
She's merry as a song,
She's pleasant as a ray of light,
She keeps my heart from wrong.
And so, let kingdoms rise or fall,
I'll earn my daily fee,
And think the world is good enough
For a little man like me.”
| Studies from the Antique and Sketches from Nature | |