The Owl And The Nightingale
: Moores Fables For GirlsTo know the MISTRESS'S humour right,
See if her maids are clean and tight,
If BETTY waits without her stays,
She copies but her LADY'S ways;
When MISS comes in with boist'rous shout,
And drops no court'sey going out,
Depend upon't, MAMMA is one
Who reads, or drinks, too much alone.
If bottled beer her thirst assuage,
She feels enthusiastic rage,
And burns with ardour to inherit
The gifts and workings of the spirit.
If learning crack her giddy brains,
No remedy but death remains.
Sum up the various ills of life,
And all are sweet to such a wife.
At home, superior wit she vaunts,
And twits her husband with his wants;
Her ragged offspring all around,
Like pigs, are wallowing on the ground.
Impatient ever of controul,
And knows no order but of soul;
With books her litter'd floor is spread,
With nameless authors never read;
Foul linen, petticoats, and lace,
Fill up the intermediate space.
Abroad, at visitings, her tongue
Is never still, and always wrong;
All meanings she defines away,
And stands with truth and sense at bay.
If e'er she meets a gentle heart,
Skill'd in the housewife's useful art;
Who makes her family her care,
And builds contentment's temple there;
She starts at such mistakes in nature,
And cries, LORD help us! what a creature!
Melissa, if the moral strike,
You'll find the fable not unlike.
An OWL, puff'd up with self-conceit,
Lov'd learning better than his meat;
Old manuscripts he treasur'd up,
And rummag'd ev'ry grocer's shop;
At pastry-cooks was known to ply,
And strip, for science, ev'ry pie.
For modern poetry and wit,
He had read all that BLACKMORE writ.
So intimate with CURL was grown,
His learned treasures were his own;
To all his authors had access,
And sometimes would correct the press.
In logic he acquir'd such knowledge,
You'd swear him fellow of a college.
Alike to ev'ry art and science,
His daring genius bid defiance,
And swallow'd wisdom with that haste
That cits do custards at a feast.
Within the shelter of a wood,
One evening, as he musing stood,
Hard by, upon a leafy spray,
A NIGHTINGALE began his lay;
Sudden he starts, with anger stung,
And, screeching, interrupts the song.
Pert, busy thing! thy airs give o'er,
And let my contemplation soar--
What is the music of thy voice,
But jarring dissonance and noise?
Be wise--True harmony thou'lt find
Not in the throat, but in the mind;
By empty chirping not attain'd,
But by laborious study gain'd.
Go, read the authors POPE explodes,
Fathom the depth of CIBBER'S odes;
With modern plays improve thy wit,
Read all the learning HENLEY writ,
And if thou needs must sing, sing then,
And emulate the ways of men:
So shalt thou grow, like me, refin'd,
And bring improvement to thy kind.
Thou wretch! the little warbler cry'd,
Made up of ignorance and pride;
Ask all the birds, and they'll declare
A greater blockhead wings not air.
Read o'er thyself, thy talents scan,
Science was only meant for man.
No senseless authors me molest,
I mind the duties of my nest;
With careful wing protect my young,
And cheer their ev'nings with a song;
Make short the weary trav'ller's way,
And warble in the poet's lay.
Thus, following nature, and her laws,
From men and birds I claim applause,
While, nurs'd in pedantry and sloth,
An OWL is scorn'd alike by both.
More
-
The Oak and the Woodcutters
THE WOODCUTTER cut down a Mountain Oak and split it in pieces, making wedges of its own branches for dividing the trunk. The Oak said with a sigh, "I do not care about the blows of the axe aimed at my roots, but I do grieve at being torn in pieces ... The Oaks and Jupiter
THE OAKS presented a complaint to Jupiter, saying, "We bear for no purpose the burden of life, as of all the trees that grow we are the most continually in peril of the axe." Jupiter made answer: "You have only to thank yourselves for the misfortu... The Ogre
There lived, once upon a time, in the land of Marigliano, a poor woman called Masella, who had six pretty daughters, all as upright as young fir-trees, and an only son called Antonio, who was so simple as to be almost an idiot. Hardly a day pass... The Ogress And The Cook
One summer afternoon, a young girl sat upon the door-stone of her cottage home, awaiting the return of her father from the mill. Her day's work was neatly done, and the tiny house, both within and without, was as tidy as hands could make it; holly... The Oil-merchant's Ass
Once on a time, an Ass,-- An Oilman's hack,-- Bearing upon his back A huge skin filled with oil, With foot o'er-worn by toil, Into his stable sought to pass; But, stumbling, struck his nose The cruellest of blows Up... The Old Dame
One child, called the Old Dame, sits on the floor, and the rest, joining hands, form a circle round her, and dancing, sing the following lines: Children. To Beccles! to Beccles! To buy a bunch of nettles! Pra... The Old Hag's Long Leather Bag
Once on a time, long, long ago, there was a widow woman who had three daughters. When their father died, their mother thought they never would want, for he had left her a long leather bag filled with gold and silver. But he was not long dead, when... The Old Horse
In our village there was an old, old man, Pimen Timofeich. He was ninety years old. He was living at the house of his grandson, doing no work. His back was bent: he walked with a cane and moved his feet slowly. He had no teeth at all, and his fa... The Old Hound
A HOUND, who in the days of his youth and strength had never yielded to any beast of the forest, encountered in his old age a boar in the chase. He seized him boldly by the ear, but could not retain his hold because of the decay of his teeth, so th... The Old House
A VERY old house once stood in a street with several others that were quite new and clean. One could read the date of its erection, which had been carved on one of the beams and surrounded by scrolls formed of tulips and hop tendrils; by this date... The Old King
Walter had been playing with his kite in the garden. Somehow or other it would never mount properly, unless his father was there to help him. It was apt to fly up a little way, and then to fall into a bush or fence, and there to perch like a big b... The Old Lion
A LION, worn out with years and powerless from disease, lay on the ground at the point of death. A Boar rushed upon him, and avenged with a stroke of his tusks a long-remembered injury. Shortly afterwards the Bull with his horns gored him as if he ... The Old Man and Death
AN OLD MAN was employed in cutting wood in the forest, and, in carrying the faggots to the city for sale one day, became very wearied with his long journey. He sat down by the wayside, and throwing down his load, besought "Death" to come. "Death" ... The Old Man And His Grandson
There was once a very old man, whose eyes had become dim, his ears dull of hearing, his knees trembled, and when he sat at table he could hardly hold the spoon, and spilt the broth upon the table-cloth or let it run out of his mouth. His son and his... The Old Poplar
For five years our garden was neglected. I hired labourers with axes and shovels, and myself began to work with them in the garden. We cut out and chopped out all the dry branches and wild shoots, and the superfluous trees and bushes. The poplars ... The Old Street Lamp
DID you ever hear the story of the old street lamp? It is not remarkably interesting, but for once you may as well listen to it. It was a most respectable old lamp, which had seen many, many years of service and now was to retire with a pension.... The Old Witch
BY THE BROTHERS GRIMM (TRANSLATED) There was once a little girl who was very willful and who never obeyed when her elders spoke to her; so how could she be happy? One day she said to her parents: "I have heard so much of the old witch that I wi... The Old Woman And Her Pig
An old woman was sweeping her house, and she found a little crooked sixpence. "What," said she, "shall I do with this little sixpence? I will go to market, and buy a little pig." As she was coming home, she came to a stile, but the piggy wouldn't ... The Old Woman And Her Pig
An old woman was sweeping her house, and she found a little crooked sixpence. "What," said she, "shall I do with this little sixpence? I will go to market, and buy a little pig." So she bought a little pig; but as she was coming home, she came t... The Old Woman And The Fish
There was once upon a time an old woman who lived in a miserable cottage on the brow of a hill overlooking the town. Her husband had been dead for many years, and her children were in service round about the parish, so she felt rather lonely and d... The Old Woman And The Old Man
Once upon a time there was an old man and an old woman, who had not a single child in their old age, and it was very hard for them, because they had no help, not even to light the fire; when they came home from working in the fields, they were oblige... The Old Woman and the Physician
AN OLD WOMAN having lost the use of her eyes, called in a Physician to heal them, and made this bargain with him in the presence of witnesses: that if he should cure her blindness, he should receive from her a sum of money; but if her infirmity re... The Old Woman And The Tramp
There was once a tramp who went plodding his way through a forest. The distance between the houses was so great that he had little hope of finding a shelter before the night set in. But all of a sudden he saw some lights between the trees. He then... The Old Woman and the Wine-Jar
AN OLD WOMAN found an empty jar which had lately been full of prime old wine and which still retained the fragrant smell of its former contents. She greedily placed it several times to her nose, and drawing it backwards and forwards said, "O most ... The Old Woman In The Basket
There was an old woman tossed up in a basket, Nineteen times as high as the moon; Where she was going I couldn't but ask it For in her hand she carried a broom. "Old woman, old woman, old woman, quoth I, O whi... The Old Woman Who Became A Woodpecker
BY PHOEBE CARY (ADAPTED) Afar in the Northland, where the winter days are so short and the nights so long, and where they harness the reindeer to sledges, and where the children look like bear's cubs in their funny, furry clothes, there, long ago... The Olive-Tree and the Fig-Tree
THE OLIVE-TREE ridiculed the Fig-Tree because, while she was green all the year round, the Fig-Tree changed its leaves with the seasons. A shower of snow fell upon them, and, finding the Olive full of foliage, it settled upon its branches and broke... The One-Eyed Doe
A DOE blind in one eye was accustomed to graze as near to the edge of the cliff as she possibly could, in the hope of securing her greater safety. She turned her sound eye towards the land that she might get the earliest tidings of the approach of ... The One-handed Girl
An old couple once lived in a hut under a grove of palm trees, and they had one son and one daughter. They were all very happy together for many years, and then the father became very ill, and felt he was going to die. He called his children t... The Ostrich The Dromedary And The Fox
A party of beasts assembled for pleasure,-- For beasts, like mankind, thus diversify leisure,-- With a thousand discussions of this and of that, Were whiling the time in a sociable chat. Of the different qualities, now they conve... The Outcast Prince
There lived a king who had an only son, on whom he doted. No one, not even his oldest tutor, was permitted to utter a word of correction to the prince whenever he did anything wrong, and so he grew up completely spoiled. He had many faults, but th... The Owl
To-whoo--to-whoo! Cold toe--toe! expresses the hooting of the owl. This bird, according to old ballads and legends, was of exalted parentage. A rural ballad, cited in Waterton's Essays on Natural History, 1838, p. 8, says: On... The Owl And Lamp And The Dogs And The Ragman
There is a set of dastard knaves, Vile critics, that will wait to make attack On authors till their victims are--alack!-- All safe and quiet in their graves; For living men, they know, might answer back. To this same purp... The Owl and the Birds
AN OWL, in her wisdom, counseled the Birds that when the acorn first began to sprout, to pull it all up out of the ground and not allow it to grow. She said acorns would produce mistletoe, from which an irremediable poison, the bird- lime, would b... The Owl And The Eagle
Once upon a time, in a savage country where the snow lies deep for many months in the year, there lived an owl and an eagle. Though they were so different in many ways they became great friends, and at length set up house together, one passi... The Owl And The Hare
It was dusk. The owls began to fly through the forest to find some prey. A large hare leaped out on a clearing and began to smooth out his fur. An old owl looked at the hare, and seated himself on a branch; but a young owl said to him: "Why d... The Owl And The Nightingale
To know the MISTRESS'S humour right, See if her maids are clean and tight, If BETTY waits without her stays, She copies but her LADY'S ways; When MISS comes in with boist'rous shout, And drops no court'sey going out, Depend upon't... The Owl And The Toad
A red Owl was sitting quietly Up in his hole, in a hollow tree, Where he chanced to catch the curious eye Of a great Toad that was hopping by. "Holloa, up there, Sir Solitary!"-- Spoke out the Toad, with accent merry,-- "... The Ox
In Herefordshire, on the eve of Twelfth-day, the best ox, white or spotted, has a cake placed on his left horn; the men and girls of the farm-house being present, drink out of a silver tankard to him, repeating this verse-- We drink to thee... The Ox and the Frog
AN OX drinking at a pool trod on a brood of young frogs and crushed one of them to death. The Mother coming up, and missing one of her sons, inquired of his brothers what had become of him. "He is dead, dear Mother; for just now a very huge beast w... The Ox And The Frog
An ox, drinking at a pool, trod on a brood of young frogs, and crushed one of them to death. The mother coming up, and missing one of her sons, inquired of his brothers what had become of him. "He is dead," said they; "for just now a very huge b... The Ox And The Grasshopper
As in a field the sturdy Ox was ploughing, A Grasshopper, close by him, shrilly sang out; "Ah! what a crooked furrow, friend, you're making! Then the Ox answered,--"Sure, my little lady, If every other furrow were not drawn straigh... The Ox-eye Daisy Or Marguerite
<div> <img src="/images/i194.png" alt="The Ox-eye Daisy or Marguerite" title="The Ox-eye Daisy or Marguerite" height="400" width="258" /> The Ox-eye Daisy or Marguerite </div> <p>Do you know that "Daisy" means "day's eye," because t... The Oxen and the Axle-Trees
A HEAVY WAGON was being dragged along a country lane by a team of Oxen. The Axle-trees groaned and creaked terribly; whereupon the Oxen, turning round, thus addressed the wheels: "Hullo there! why do you make so much noise? We bear all the labor, ... The Oxen and the Butchers
THE OXEN once upon a time sought to destroy the Butchers, who practiced a trade destructive to their race. They assembled on a certain day to carry out their purpose, and sharpened their horns for the contest. But one of them who was exceedingly o... The Oxford Student
[Obtained in Oxfordshire from tradition.] Many years ago there lived at the University of Oxford a young student, who, having seduced the daughter of a tradesman, sought to conceal his crime by committing the more heinous one of murder. With this ... The Page-boy And The Silver Goblet
There was once a little page-boy, who was in service in a stately Castle. He was a very good-natured little fellow, and did his duties so willingly and well that everybody liked him, from the great Earl whom he served every day on bended knee, to ... The Palace In The Clouds
Ikkor, the Jewish vizier of the king of Assyria, was the wisest man in the land, but he was not happy. He was the greatest favorite of the king who heaped honors upon him, and the idol of the people who bowed before him in the streets and cast the... The Palace Of Alkinoos
On a high plain covered with flowers once lived good King Alkinoos and his gentle people, the Phaiakians. They were great sailors and went about in silver ships without rudders or sails. These wonderful ships went slowly or very fast just as ... The Palace Of Queen Aquareine
Trot was surprised to find it was not at all dark or gloomy as they descended farther into the deep sea. Things were not quite so clear to her eyes as they had been in the bright sunshine above the ocean's surface, but every object was distinct ne... The Palace Of The Eagles
East of the Land of the Rising Sun there dwelled a king who spent all his days and half his nights in pleasure. His kingdom was on the edge of the world, according to the knowledge of those times, and almost entirely surrounded by the sea. Nobody ... The Panther and the Shepherds
A PANTHER, by some mischance, fell into a pit. The Shepherds discovered him, and some threw sticks at him and pelted him with stones, while others, moved with compassion towards one about to die even though no one should hurt him, threw in some foo... The Panther Horse And Other Beasts
The man who seeks to win the fair, (So custom says) must truth forbear; Must fawn and flatter, cringe and lie, And raise the goddess to the sky; For truth is hateful to her ear, A rudeness which she cannot bear-- A rudeness?--Yes,... The Pappoose On The Squaw's Back
<p>Now that you know how the Bears and the Big Dipper came, you should know the Indian story of the Old Squaw.</p> <div> <img src="/images/i148.png" alt="Orion Fighting the Bull" title="Orion Fighting the Bull" height="284" width="300" /> Orion Fightin... The Paradise In The Sea
Hiram, king of Tyre, was a foolish old man. He lived so long and grew to such a venerable age that he absuredly imagined he would never die. The idea gained strength daily in his mind and thus he mused: "David, king of the Jews, I knew, and afte... The Parrot
Six months had passed since Blondine awaked from her seven years' sleep. It seemed to the little princess a long time. The remembrance of her dear father often saddened her heart. Bonne-Biche and Beau-Minon seemed to divine her thoughts. Beau-Mi... The Partnership Of The Thief And The Liar
... The Partridge and the Fowler
A FOWLER caught a Partridge and was about to kill it. The Partridge earnestly begged him to spare his life, saying, "Pray, master, permit me to live and I will entice many Partridges to you in recompense for your mercy to me." The Fowler replied, ... The Pea Blossom
THERE were once five peas in one shell; they were green, and the shell was green, and so they believed that the whole world must be green also, which was a very natural conclusion. The shell grew, and the peas grew; and as they grew they arrange... The Pea Emperor
Once upon a time something wonderful happened. If it hadn't happened, it wouldn't be told. There was once a good for nothing fellow, who was so poor and needy that he had not even enough to eat to be able to drink water after it. When he had wande... The Peacock and Juno
THE PEACOCK made complaint to Juno that, while the nightingale pleased every ear with his song, he himself no sooner opened his mouth than he became a laughingstock to all who heard him. The Goddess, to console him, said, "But you far excel in beau... The Peacock And Juno
The Peacock made complaint to Juno that, while the small nightingale pleased every ear with his song, he no sooner opened his mouth than he became a laughing-stock of all who heard him. The Goddess, to console him, said, "But you far excel in beau... The Peacock and the Crane
A PEACOCK spreading its gorgeous tail mocked a Crane that passed by, ridiculing the ashen hue of its plumage and saying, "I am robed, like a king, in gold and purple and all the colors of the rainbow; while you have not a bit of color on your wings.... The Peacock Butterflies
Plain little Miss Butterfly sat on a bush one day, when along came Mr. Peacock, with his tail full spread. "Oh--oh!" sighed little Miss Butterfly. "How handsome he is! If only I could have a dress like the colors of Mr. Peacock's tail all the... The Peasant and the Apple-Tree
A PEASANT had in his garden an Apple-Tree which bore no fruit but only served as a harbor for the sparrows and grasshoppers. He resolved to cut it down, and taking his axe in his hand, made a bold stroke at its roots. The grasshoppers and sparrows... The Peasant And The Cucumbers
A peasant once went to the gardener's, to steal cucumbers. He crept up to the cucumbers, and thought: "I will carry off a bag of cucumbers, which I will sell; with the money I will buy a hen. The hen will lay eggs, hatch them, and raise a lot of... The Peasant and the Eagle
A PEASANT found an Eagle captured in a trap, and much admiring the bird, set him free. The Eagle did not prove ungrateful to his deliverer, for seeing the Peasant sitting under a wall which was not safe, he flew toward him and with his talons snatc... The Pen And The Inkstand
IN A POET'S room, where his inkstand stood on the table, the remark was once made: "It is wonderful what can be brought out of an inkstand. What will come next? It is indeed wonderful." "Yes, certainly," said the inkstand to the pen and to the o... The Peony Lantern
In Yedo there dwelt a samurai called Hagiwara. He was a samurai of the hatamoto, which is of all the ranks of samurai the most honourable. He possessed a noble figure and a very beautiful face, and was beloved of many a lady of Yedo, both openl... The Perplexity Of Zadig
On the banks of the river Euphrates there once lived a man called Zadig, who spent all his days watching the animals he saw about him and in learning their ways, and in studying the plants that grew near his hut. And the more he knew of them, the ... The Pet Bird Of The Ward
"Well," said daddy, "I suppose you are ready for your story, and this evening I am going to tell you about a little boy I saw as I passed by a ward in a hospital I was visiting to-day." Jack and Evelyn sat up and listened eagerly, as they lov... The Pets Of Aurore Dupin
During the years in which Napoleon and his armies were fighting in Spain, in Germany, and in Russia, a little girl might be seen running wild in the province of Berry, which is almost in the very centre of France. In those days if you had asked he...