The World’s Wit and Humor: An Encyclopedia in 15 Volumes. 1906.
Tomás de Iriarte (1750–1791)The Musical Ass
From “Fables”
T
Occurr’d to me by accident;
And whether bad or excellent,
Is merely so by accident.
Into a field by accident
And cropp’d his food and was content,
Until he spied by accident
A flute, which some oblivious gent
Had left behind by accident;
When, sniffing it with eager scent,
He breathed on it by accident,
And made the hollow instrument
Emit a sound by accident.
“Hurrah! hurrah!” exclaimed the brute,
“How cleverly I play the flute!”
May shine for once—by accident.