They never seem to stop all day,
And you can hear from far away
Their busy chatter-chat.
They work so very hard indeed
You'd wonder that the fairies need
So many laws as that.
THE ROBIN
The robin is the fairies' page;
They keep him neatly dressed
For country service or for town
In dapper livery of brown
And little scarlet vest.
On busy errands all day long
He hurries to and fro
With watchful eyes and nimble wings—
There are not very many things
The robin doesn't know.
And he can tell you, if he will,
The latest fairy news:
The quaint adventures of the King,
And whom the Queen is visiting,
And where she gets her shoes.
And lately, when the fairy Court
Invited me to tea,
He stood behind the Royal Chair;
And here I solemnly declare,
When he discovered I was there.
That robin winked at me.
THE COCK
The kindly cock is the fairies' friend,
He warns them when their revels must end;
He never forgets to give the word,
For the cock is a thoroughly punctual bird.