1.A little bird went to and fro,Once in the nesting season,And sought for shelter high and low,Until,for some queer reason,She flew into a granary,Where,on a nail suspended,The farmer's coat she chanced to see;And there her search was ended.
2.The granary was in a loft,Where not a creature met her;The coat had hollows deep and soft-Could anything be better?
And where it hung,how safe it was,Without a breeze to rock it!
Come,busy little beak and claws,Build quick inside the pocket!
3.Three speckled eggs soon warmly lay Beneath the happy sitter;Three little birds-oh,joy!-one day Began to chirp and twitter.
And then-ah,can you guess the tale?-The farmer came one morning,And took his coat down from the nail Without a word of warning !
4.Poor,little,frightened motherling !
Up from her nest she fluttered,And straightway every gaping thing Its wide-mouthed terror uttered.
The good man started back aghast ;
But merry was his wonder When,in the pocket,he at last Found such unlooked-for plunder.
5.He put the coat back carefully:"I think I have another;So don't you be afraid of me,You bright-eyed little mother.
I know just how you feel,poor thing,For I have youngsters,bless you!
There-stop your foolish fluttering-Nobody shall distress you."
6.Then merrily he ran away To tell his wife about it-How in his coat the nestlings lay,And he must do without it.
She laughed,and said she thought he could;And so,all unmolested,The mother-birdie and her brood Safe in the pocket rested,7.Till all the little wings were set In proper flying feather;And then there was a nest to let,For off they flocked together.
The farmer keeps it still to show,And says that he's the debtor;His coat is none the worse,you know,While he's-a little better.