The Sparrow’s Nest
Hey, only look what I have found! A sparrow’s nest upon the ground; A sparrow’s nest as you may see, Blown out of yonder old elm tree. And what a medley thing it is! I never saw a nest like this.
Not neatly woven with decent care, Of silvery moss and shining hair; But put together, odds and ends, Picked up from enemies and friends See, bits of thread, and bits of rag, Just like a little rubbish-bag!
Here is a scrap of red and brown, Like the old washer woman’s gown; And here is muslin, pink and green, And bits of calico between;
O never thinks the lady fair, As she goes by with mincing air How the pert sparrow over-head, Has robbed her gown to make its bed!
See, hair of dog and fur of a cat, And rovings of a worsted mat, And shreds of silks, and many a feather, Compacted cunningly together.
Well, here has hoarding been and hiving, And not a little good contriving, Before a home of peace and ease, Was fashioned out of things like these!
Think, had these odds and ends been brought To some wise man renowned for thought, Some man, of men a very gem, Pray what could he have done with them?
If we had said, “Here, sir, we bring You many a worthless little thing, Just bits and scraps, so very small, That they have scarcely size at all,
“And out of these, you must contrive A dwelling large enough for five; Neat, warm, and snug; with comfort stored; Where five small things may lodge and board.”
How would the man of learning vast, Have been astonished and aghast; And vowed, that such a thing had been Never heard or thought of, much less seen,
Ah! man of learning, you are wrong; Instinct is, more than wisdom, strong; And He who made the sparrow taught This skill beyond your reach of thought.
And here, in this uncostly nest, These little creatures have been blest; Nor have kings known in palaces, Half their contentedness in this Poor simple dwelling as it is!
Some interesting thing for Sparrow’s Nest
A bird’s nest is a very interesting object. Have you ever seen one and wondered how intricately it is weaved How many different kinds of nests do you know of? What kinds of go do birds lay?
Describe a few you have won or red bout. Do you see sparrows these days? Why do you tunk some species of bird not seen anymore?
New Words
1.Medley: a mixture of different tunes, items
2.compacted: pressed together firmly
3.Hoarding and hiving: collecting and keeping food, etc. in a secret place
4.contriving: arranging for something in a clever way, succeeding in doing something in spite of difficulties
5. aghast: feeling or looking shocked by something you have just seen
6. instinct: a natural tendency of animals or people to behave or react in a particular way without having to learn about it
7. muslin: a very thin cotton material
8. calico: a heavy plain cloth made from cotton
9. rovings: twisted strands of fibre
10. worsted: a type of woollen cloth used to make jackets, trousers and skirts