THE WISE OLD CROW
Reading edition
Not all the people know
The wisdom of the Crow:
As they see him come and go,
With verdict brief,
They say, “You thief!”
And wish him only woe.
That he’s selfish we admit,
But he has a lot of grit,
And on favour not a bit
Does he depend;
Without a friend,
He must live by mother-wit.
The Crow is rather shy,
With a very watchful eye
For danger coming nigh,
And any one
Who bears a gun
He’s pretty sure to spy.
The clever farmer’s plan
Is to make a sort of ban,
By stuffing clothes with bran,
Topped with a tile
Of ancient style,
—A funny old scarecrow man.
The Crow looks on with scorn,
And early in the morn
Pulls up the farmer’s corn:
He laughs at that,
The queer old hat,
Of the scarecrow man forlorn.
—Garrett Newkirk, in Bird-Lore.