A grasshopper lazed in the summer sun,
Watching the ants as, one by one,
They stored away seeds, leaves and grass,
And grasshopper laughed: “Dear me, alas!
“How foolish are these ants to toil,
When the summer sun is on the boil,
Why don’t they enjoy the heat with me?”
And he kicked up his heels so carelessly.
But when the summer sun had gone,
And grasshopper shivered upon a stone,
He cried aloud: “Oh, dearie me!
I’m frozen stiff and so hungry!
“Oh, ants, dear ants, pray let me in,
My nose is blue, and I’m so thin,
It’s cold out here, please let me in do,”
But an ant peeped out and shouted: “Shoo!
“Silly grasshopper, you sang and hopped
Till summer’s warmth and heat were stopped,
You should have thought of winter’s chill,
No food, and the wind blows fit to kill.”
So grasshopper crept into a hole,
Which he shared all winter with a mole.
Spring came; he said: “I must remember,
To make proper plans for next December.”