In secret then, till my end draws nigh,
I will toil for her; and when I die,
I'll leave behind, as a farewell boon
To the proud young princess, my whole cocoon,
To be reeled, and wove to a shining lace,
And hung in a veil o'er her scornful face!
And when she can calmly draw her breath
Through the very threads that have caused my death;
When she finds at length, she has nerves so firm,
As to wear the shroud of a _crawling worm_,
May she bear in mind that she walks with pride
In the winding-sheet where the silk-worm died!"
=Dame Biddy=
Dame Biddy abode in a coop,
Because it so chanced that dame Biddy
Had round her a family group
Of chicks, young, and helpless, and giddy.
And when she had freedom to roam,
She fancied the life of a ranger;
And led off her brood, far from home,
To fall into mischief or danger.
She'd trail through the grass to be mown,
And call all her children to follow;
And scratch up the seeds that were sown,
Then, lie in their places and wallow.
She'd go where the corn in the hill,
Its first little blade had been shooting,
And try, by the strength of her bill,
To learn if the kernel was rooting.
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