Beneath an oak tree, which for ages had stood,
In beauty and pride in the midst of a wood.
A mushroom grew there, which a nice table made,
And a waterdock-leaf for the cloth was soon laid.
When the moment arrived, ready waiting were they
To welcome their friends in the heartiest way;
The first to arrive was the Beetle so black,
Who carried the Emmet, his friend, on his back;
The Gnat and the Dragonfly next did each bring
His friends; then the Wasp came, without his sharp sting.
The Cockchafer hummed, as he journeyed along,
Some songs he intended to sing to the throng.
The sly little Dormouse peeped out of his hole,
And led to the feast his blind cousin, the Mole.
In fact they all came, as they promised to do,
In the picture before you, so plain to the view.
