The Precipitate Cock and the Unappreciated Pearl

A rooster once pursued a wormThat lingered not to brave him,To see his wretched victim squirmA pleasant thrill it gave him;He summoned all his kith and kin,They hastened up by legions,With quaint, expressive gurgles inTheir œsophageal regions.

Just then a kind of glimmeringAttracting his attention,The worm became too small a thingFor more than passing mention:The throng of hungry hens and rudeHe skilfully evaded.Said he, "I' faith, if this be food,I saw the prize ere they did."

It was a large and costly pearl,Belonging in a necklace,And dropped by some neglectful girl:Some people are so reckless!The cock assumed an air forlorn,And cried, "It's really cruel.I thought it was a grain of corn:"It's nothing but a jewel."

He turned again to where his clanIn one astounding tangleWith eager haste together ranTo slay the helpless angle,And sighed, "He was of massive size.I should have used discretion.Too late! Around the toothsome prizeA bargain-sale's in session."

The worm's remarks upon his plightHave never been recorded,But any one may know how slightDiversion it afforded;For worms and human beings areUnanimous that, when pecked,To be the prey of men they farPrefer to being hen-pecked.

The moral: When your dinner comesDon't leave it for your neighbors,Because you hear the sound of drumsAnd see the gleam of sabres;Or, like the cock, you'll find too lateThat ornaments externalDo not for certain indicateA bona fide kernel.