THE WAG-TAIL
By brook and bent,Alert and diligent,All day my merry wag-tail went,Soberly cladShe seemed, in feathers sadWhich yet a fair white braiding had;Nor did she failWith jerking beak and tailQuite to dislodge th’ incurious snail,And thence awayTo the pollard where all dayHer brown big-footed babies lay.—I do desireNo better, nor look higher,Pied wag-tail, than thy plain attire;Nor would I roamAfar, but kindly comeBack to th’ acclaiming mouths at home.Like thee to runAbout my works begunAnd pluck delights from ev’ry one.Where (might I do’t)Living, my only suit,And dead, my dearest attribute.
By brook and bent,Alert and diligent,All day my merry wag-tail went,Soberly cladShe seemed, in feathers sadWhich yet a fair white braiding had;Nor did she failWith jerking beak and tailQuite to dislodge th’ incurious snail,And thence awayTo the pollard where all dayHer brown big-footed babies lay.—I do desireNo better, nor look higher,Pied wag-tail, than thy plain attire;Nor would I roamAfar, but kindly comeBack to th’ acclaiming mouths at home.Like thee to runAbout my works begunAnd pluck delights from ev’ry one.Where (might I do’t)Living, my only suit,And dead, my dearest attribute.
By brook and bent,Alert and diligent,All day my merry wag-tail went,
Soberly cladShe seemed, in feathers sadWhich yet a fair white braiding had;
Nor did she failWith jerking beak and tailQuite to dislodge th’ incurious snail,
And thence awayTo the pollard where all dayHer brown big-footed babies lay.
—I do desireNo better, nor look higher,Pied wag-tail, than thy plain attire;
Nor would I roamAfar, but kindly comeBack to th’ acclaiming mouths at home.
Like thee to runAbout my works begunAnd pluck delights from ev’ry one.
Where (might I do’t)Living, my only suit,And dead, my dearest attribute.