And when I see thee hang thy head,
'Twill be my turn to watch thy bed,
And tears of sweet affection shed,
For God, who lives above the skies,
Would look with vengeance in His eyes,
If I should ever dare despise,
THERE was a nettle both great and strong,
And the threads of his poison-flowers were long;
He rose up in strength and height also,
And he said, 'I'll be king of the plants below!'
It was in a wood both drear and dank,
Where grew the Nettle so broad and rank,
And an owl sate up in an old ash-tree,
That was wasting away so silently;
And a raven was perched above his head,
And they both of them heard what the Nettle-king said; And there was a toad that sate below,
Chewing his venom sedate and slow,
And he heard the words of the Nettle also.
The Nettle he throve, and the Nettle he grew,
And the strength of the earth around him he drew.
There was a pale stellaria meek,
But as he grew strong, so she grew weak ;
There was a campion, crimson-eyed,
But as he grew up, the campion died;
And the blue veronica, shut from light,
Faded away in a sickly white
e;
For upon his leaves a dew there hung,
That fell like a blight from a serpent's tongue,
And there was not a flower about the spot,
Herb-Robert, harebell, nor forget-me-not.
Yet up grew the Nettle, like water sedge,
Higher and higher above the hedge;
The stuff of his leaves was strong and stout,
And the points of his stinging-flowers stood out ;
And the child that went in the wood to play,
From the great King-nettle would shrink away!
'Now,' says the Nettle, 'there's none like me;
I am as great as a plant can be!
I have crushed each weak and tender root
With the mighty power of my kingly foot;
I have spread out my arms so strong and wide,
And opened my way on every side;
I have drawn from the earth its virtues fine,
To strengthen for me each poison-spine:
Both morn and night my leaves I've spread,
And upon the falling dews have fed,
Till I am as great as a forest tree;
The great wide world is the place for me!'
Said the Nettle-king in his bravery.
Just then came up a woodman stout,
In the thick of the wood he was peering about : The Nettle looked up, the Nettle looked down, And graciously smiled on the simple clown:
'Thou knowest me well, Sir Clown,' said he,
' And 'tis meet that thou reverence one like me!'
Nothing at all the man replied,
But he lifted a scythe that was at his side,
And he cut the Nettle up by the root,
And trampled it under his heavy foot;
And he saw where the toad in its shadow lay,
But he said not a word, and went his way.
THE CHAMELEON.
OFT has it been my lot to mark
A proud, conceited, talking spark,
With eyes that hardly served at most
To guard their master 'gainst a post :
Yet round the world the blade has been,
To see whatever could be seen.
Returning from his finished tour
Grown ten times perter than before;
Whatever word you chance to drop,
The travelled fool your mouth will stop:
'Sir, if my judgment you'll allow-
I've seen-and sure I ought to know.'
So begs you'd pay a due submission,
And acquiesce in his decision.
Two travellers of such a cast,
As o'er Arabia's wilds they past,
And on their way, in friendly chat,
Now talked of this, and then of that;
Discoursed a while, 'mongst other matter,
Of the Chameleon's form and nature.
'A stranger animal,' cries one,
'Sure never lived beneath the sun :
A lizard's body lean and long,
A fish's head, a serpent's tongue,
Its foot with triple claw disjoined ;
And what a length of tail behind!
How slow its pace! and then its hue-
Who ever saw so fine a blue?'
'Hold there,' the other quick replies; ''Tis green-I saw it with these eyes, As late with open mouth it lay, And warmed it in the sunny ray; Stretched at its ease the beast I viewed, And saw it eat the air for food.'
'I've seen it, sir, as well as you,
And must again affirm it blue;
At leisure I the beast surveyed
Extended in the cooling shade.'
"'Tis green, 'tis green, sir, I assure ye.' 'Green' cries the other in a fury:
'Why, sir, d'ye think I've lost my eyes?'
"Twere no great loss,' the friend replies;
For if they always serve you thus,
You'll find them but of little use."
So high at last the contest rose, From words they almost came to blows; When luckily came by a third; To him the question they referred,
And begged he'd tell them if he knew
Whether the thing was green or blue.
'Sirs,' cries the umpire, 'cease your pother;
The creature's neither one nor t'other.
I caught the animal last night,
And viewed it o'er by candle-light ;
I marked it well-'twas black as jet-
You stare-but sirs, I've got it yet,
And can produce it.' 'Pray, sir, do;
I'll lay my life the thing is blue.'
'And I'll be sworn that when you've seen
The reptile, you'll pronounce him green.'
'Well, then, at once to ease your doubt,'
Replies the
man, 'I'll turn him out :
And when before your eyes I've set him,
If you don't find him black, I'll eat him.'
He said; and full before their sight
Produced the beast, and lo !-'twas white!
Both stared, the man looked wondrous wise-
'My children,' the Chameleon cries
(Then first the creature found a tongue),
'You are all right, and all are wrong :
When next you talk of what you view,
Think others see as well as you ;
Nor wonder if you find that none
Prefers your eyesight to his own.'
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