| |
| HERE we go in a flung festoon, | |
| Half-way up to the jealous moon! | |
| Don’t you envy our pranceful bands? | |
| Don’t you wish you had extra hands? | |
| Wouldn’t you like if your tails were—so— | 5 |
| Curved in the shape of a Cupid’s bow? | |
| Now you’re angry, but—never mind, | |
| Brother, thy tail hangs down behind! | |
| |
| Here we sit in a branchy row, | |
| Thinking of beautiful things we know; | 10 |
| Dreaming of deeds that we mean to do, | |
| All complete, in a minute or two— | |
| Something noble and grand and good, | |
| Won by merely wishing we could. | |
| Now we’re going to—never mind, | 15 |
| Brother, thy tail hangs down behind! | |
| |
| All the talk we ever have heard | |
| Uttered by bat or beast or bird— | |
| Hide or fin or scale or feather— | |
| Jabber it quickly and all together! | 20 |
| Excellent! Wonderful! Once again! | |
| Now we are talking just like men. | |
| Let’s pretend we are … Never mind! | |
| Brother, thy tail hangs down behind! | |
| This is the way of the Monkey-kind! | 25 |
| |
| Then join our leaping lines that scumfish through the pines, | |
| That rocket by where, light and high, the wild-grape swings. | |
| By the rubbish in our wake, and the noble noise we make, | |
| Be sure—be sure, we’re going to do some splendid things! | |
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