Poems for Children Sigourney/The Lady Bug and the Ant
The Lady-Bug and the Ant.
The Lady-Bug sat in the rose's heart,
And smil'd with pride and scorn,
As she saw a plain-drest Ant go by,
With a heavy grain of corn;
So, she drew the curtains of damask round,
And adjusted her silken vest,
Making her glass of a drop of dew
That lay in the Rose's breast.
Then she laugh'd so loud, that the Ant look'd up,
And seeing her haughty face,
Took no more notice, but travell'd on
At the same industrious pace:—
But a sudden blast of Autumn came,
And rudely swept the ground,
And down the rose with the Lady-Bug fell,
And scatter'd its leaves around.
Then the houseless Lady was much amaz'd,
For she knew not where to go,
And hoarse November's early blast
Had brought both rain and snow,—
Her wings were chill, and her feet were cold,
And she wish'd for the Ant's warm cell,—
And what she did when the winter came,
I'm sure I cannot tell.
But the careful Ant was in her nest,
With her little ones by her side,
She taught them all like herself to toil,
Nor mind the sneer of pride,—
And I thought, as I sat at the close of day,
Eating my bread and milk,
It was wiser to work and improve my time,
Than be idle and dress in silk.