Towards the river ...

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[Variant 45:]

1832
Heav'd his lank sides, ... 1819

Heav'd his lank sides, ...

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[Variant 46:]

1836. In the two editions of 1819 this stanza formed twostanzas, thus:

All by the moonlight river side
He gave three miserable groans,
"'Tis come then to a pretty pass,"
Said Peter to the groaning ass,
"But I will bang your bones!"

And Peter halts to gather breath,
And now full clearly was it shown
(What he before in part had seen)
How gaunt was the poor Ass and lean,
Yea wasted to a skeleton!









1819

In the editions of 1820-1832, only the second of these stanzas isretained, with the following change of text in 1827:

And, while he halts, was clearly shown
(What he before in part had seen)
How gaunt the Creature was, and lean,



1827

All by the moonlight river side
He gave three miserable groans,
"'Tis come then to a pretty pass,"
Said Peter to the groaning ass,
"But I will bang your bones!"
And Peter halts to gather breath,
And now full clearly was it shown
(What he before in part had seen)
How gaunt was the poor Ass and lean,
Yea wasted to a skeleton!

In the editions of 1820-1832, only the second of these stanzas is retained, with the following change of text in 1827: