"Tu-whit ! tu-whit ! tu-whee ! Will you listen to me?
Who stole four eggs I laid. And the nice nest I made?""Not I," said the cow, "Moo-oo! Such a thing I"d never do;I gave you a wisp of hay,
But didn"t take your nest away; Not I," said the cow, "Moo-oo! Such a thing I"d never do.""Tu-whit ! tu-whit! tu-whee ! Will you listen to me?
Who stole four eggs I laid, And the nice nest I made? Bob-o-link! Bob-o-link! Now what, do you think? Who stole a nest awayFrom the plum-tree to-day?"
"Not I," said the dog, "Bow-wow ! I"m not so mean, anyhow!
I gave hairs the nest to make, But the nest I did not take;Not I, "said the dog," Bow-wow! I"m not so mean, anyhow."Drawn by W.S. Wemyss
The Thief-is he here?
"Coo-coo! Coo-coo! Coo-coo! Let me speak a few words, too! Who stole that pretty nestFrom poor little Yellow-breast?"
"Not I," said the sheep, "oh no ! I wouldn"t treat a poor bird so. I gave wool the nest to line,But the theft was none of mine; Baa! Baa!" said the sheep, "oh no! I wouldn"t treat a poor bird so.""Coo-coo ! Coo-coo! Coo-coo ! Let me speak a few words, too! Who stole that pretty nestFrom poor little Yellow-breast?" "Caw! Caw!" cried the crow:
"I, too, should like to know What thief took awayA bird"s nest to-day."
"Cluck ! Cluck! " said the hen; "Don"t ask me again,Why, I haven"t a chick Would do such a trick. We all gave her a feather,And she wove them together.
I"d scorn to intrude On her and her brood.
Cluck ! Cluck!" said the hen, "Don"t ask me again!""Chirr-a-whirr! Chirr-a-whirr! All the birds make a stir!
Let us find out his name, And all cry "For shame!" ""I would not rob a bird," Said Little Mary Green; "I think I never heard Of anything so mean.""It is very cruel, too," Said Little Alice Neal; "I wonder if he knewHow sad the bird would feel?"
A little boy hung down his head, And went and hid behind the bed, For he stole that pretty nestFrom poor little Yellow-breast; And he felt so full of shame, He didn"t like to tell his name.
-Maria L. Child
Author.-Lydia Maria Child (1802-1880) was an American writer. She took great interest in public movements for the relief of distress among the poor and helpless.
General Notes.-How did the cow help the bird? How did the dog,the sheep, the hen? Who did steal that nest? What word tells you that the poem was written in America?