DLTK's Crafts for Kids
The Daddy Long-Legs and the Fly
by Edward Lear
Once Mr. Daddy Long-legs,
Dressed in brown and gray,
Walked about upon the sands
Upon a
sumer's day;
And there among the pebbles,
When the wind was
rather cold,
He met with Mr. Floppy Fly,
All dressed in blue
and gold.
And as it was too soon to dine,
They drank some
Periwinkle-wine,
And played an hour or two, or more,
At battlecock and shuttledore.
Said Mr. Daddy Long-legs
To Mr.
Floppy Fly,
'Why do you never come to court?
I wish you'd tell
me why.
All gold and shine, in dress so fine,
You'd quite
delight the court.
Why do you never go at all?
I really think
you ought!
And if you went, you'd see such sights!
Such rugs!
Such jugs! and candle-lights!
And more than all, the King and Queen,
One in red, and one in green!'
'O Mr. Daddy Long-legs,'
Said
Mr. Floppy Fly,
'It's true I never go to court,
And I will tell
you why.
If I had six long legs like yours,
At once I'd go to
court!
But oh! I can't, because my legs
Are so extremely short.
And I'm afraid the King and Queen
(One in red, and one in green)
Would say aloud, "You are not fit,
You Fly, to come to court a
bit!"'
'O Mr. Daddy Long-legs,'
Said
Mr. Floppy Fly,
'I wish you'd sing one little song!
One mumbian
melody!
You used to sing so awful well
In former days gone by,
But now you never sing at all;
I wish you'd tell me why:
For if
you would, the silvery sound
Would please the shrimps and cockles
round,
And all the crabs would gladly come
To hear you sing,
"Ah, hum di Hum"!'
Said Mr. Daddy Long-legs,
'I can
never sing again!
And if you wish, I'll tell you why,
Although
it gives me pain.
For years I cannot hum a bit,
Or sing the
smallest song;
And this the dreadful reason is,
My legs are
grown too long!
My six long legs, all here and there,
Oppress
my bosom with despair;
And if I stand, or lie, or sit,
I cannot
sing one little bit!'
So Mr. Daddy Long-legs
And Mr.
Floppy Fly
Sat down in silence by the sea,
And gazed upon the
sky.
They said, 'This is a dreadful thing!
The world has all
gone wrong,
Since one has legs too short by half,
The other
much too long!
One never more can go to court,
Because his legs
have grown too short;
The other cannot sing a song,
Because his
legs have grown too long!'
Then Mr. Daddy Long-legs
And Mr.
Floppy Fly
Rushed downward to the foamy sea
With one
sponge-taneous cry;
And there they found a little boat,
Whose
sails were pink and gray;
And off they sailed among the waves,
Far, and far away.
They sailed across the silent main,
And
reached the great Gromboolian plain;
And there they play for evermore
At battlecock and shuttledoor. |
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