A TRAGEDY IN THREE PARTS.
Reading edition
Part I.—The Bonnet.
A bit of foundation as big as your hand; Bows of ribbon and lace; Wire sufficient to make them stand; A handful of roses, a velvet band— It lacks but one crowning grace.
Part II.—The Bird.
A chirp, a twitter, a flash of wings, Four wide-open mouths in a nest; From morning till night she brings and brings For growing birds, they are hungry things— Aye! hungry things at the best. The crack of a rifle, a shot well sped; A crimson stain on the grass; Four hungry birds in a nest unfed— Ah! well, we will leave the rest unsaid; Some things it were better to pass.
Part III.—The Wearer.
The lady has surely a beautiful face, She has surely a queenly air; The bonnet had flowers and ribbon and lace; But the bird had added the crowning grace— It is really a charming affair. Is the love of a bonnet supreme over all, In a lady so faultlessly fair? The Father takes heed when the sparrows fall, He hears when the starving nestlings call— Can a tender woman not care? —Anon.