| Rudyard Kipling (1865–1936). Verse: 1885–1918. 1922. | | | | The Bee Boy’s Song |
| | | BEES! Bees! Hark to your bees! | |
| “Hide from your neighbours as much as you please, | |
| But all that has happened, to us you must tell, | |
| Or else we will give you no honey to sell!” | |
| |
| A maiden in her glory, | 5 |
| Upon her wedding-day, | |
| Must tell her Bees the story, | |
| Or else they’ll fly away. | |
| Fly away—die away— | |
| Dwindle down and leave you! | 10 |
| But if you don’t deceive your Bees, | |
| Your Bees will not deceive you. | |
| |
| Marriage, birth or buryin’, | |
| News across the seas, | |
| All you’re sad or merry in, | 15 |
| You must tell the Bees. | |
| Tell ’em coming in an’ out, | |
| Where the Fanners fan, | |
| ’Cause the Bees are just about | |
| As curious as a man! | 20 |
| |
| Don’t you wait where trees are, | |
| When the lightnings play, | |
| Nor don’t you hate where Bees are, | |
| Or else they’ll pine away. | |
| Pine away—dwine away— | 25 |
| Anything to leave you! | |
| But if you never grieve your Bees, | |
| Your Bees ’ll never grieve you. | | | | |
|
|
