Now We Are Six (9 page)

There’s sun on the river and sun on the hill
….

You can hear the sea if you stand quite still!

There’s eight new puppies at Roundabout Farm—

And I saw an old sailor with only one arm!

But every one says, “Run along!”

(Run along, run along!)

All of them say, “Run along! I’m busy as can be.”

Every one says, “Run along,

There’s a little darling!”

If I’m a little darling, why don’t they run with me?

There’s wind on the river and wind on the hill
…

There’s a dark dead water-wheel under the mill!

I saw a fly which had just been drowned—

And I know where a rabbit goes into the ground!

But every one says, “Run along!”

(Run along, run along!)

All of them say, “Yes, dear,” and never notice me.

Every one says, “Run along,

There’s a little darling!”

If I’m a little darling, why won’t they come and see?

I’m fishing
.

Don’t talk, anybody, don’t come near!

Can’t you see that the fish might hear?

He thinks I’m playing with a piece of string;

He thinks I’m another sort of funny sort of thing,

But he doesn’t know I’m fishing
—

He doesn’t know I’m fishing
.

That’s what I’m doing—

    Fishing.

No, I’m not, I’m newting
.

Don’t cough, anybody, don’t come by!

Any small noise makes a newt feel shy.

He thinks I’m a bush, or a new sort of tree;

He thinks it’s somebody, but doesn’t think it’s Me,

And he doesn’t know I’m newting—

No, he doesn’t know I’m newting
.

That’s what I’m doing—

    Newting.

Berryman and Baxter,

Prettiboy and Penn

And old Farmer Middleton

Are five big men…

And all of them were after

The Little Black Hen.

She ran quickly,

They ran fast;

Baxter was first, and

Berryman was last.

I sat and watched

By the old plum-tree…

She squawked through the hedge

And she came to me.

The Little Black Hen

Said “Oh, it’s you!”

I said “Thank you,

How do you do?

And please will you tell me,

Little Black Hen,

What did they want,

Those five big men?”

The Little Black Hen

She said to me:

“They want me to lay them

An egg for tea.

If they were Emperors,

If they were Kings.

I’m much too busy

To lay them things.”

“I’m not a King

And I haven’t a crown;

I climb up trees,

And I tumble down.

I can shut one eye,

I can count to ten,

So lay me an egg, please,

Little Black Hen.”

The Little Black Hen said,

“What will you pay,

If I lay you an egg

For Easter Day?”

“I’ll give you a Please

And a How-do-you-do,

I’ll show you the Bear

Who lives in the Zoo,

I’ll show you the nettle-place

On my leg,

If you’ll lay me a great big

Eastery egg.”

The Little Black Hen

Said “I don’t care

For a How-do-you-do

Or a Big-brown-bear,

But I’ll lay you a beautiful

Eastery egg,

If you’ll show me the nettle-place

On your leg.”

I showed her the place

Where I had my sting.

She touched it gently

With one black wing.

“Nettles don’t hurt

If you count to ten.

And now for the egg,”

Said the Little Black Hen.

When I wake up

On Easter Day,

I shall see my egg

She’s promised to lay.

If I were Emperors,

If I were Kings,

It couldn’t be fuller

Of wonderful things.

Berryman and Baxter,

Prettiboy and Penn,

And Old Farmer Middleton

Are five big men.

All of them are wanting

An egg for their tea,

But the Little Black Hen is much too busy,

The Little Black Hen is
much
too busy,

The Little Black Hen is MUCH too busy…

She’s laying my egg for me!