A Verse With A Moral But No Name
by
A wise man once, of Haarlem town,
Went wandering up, and wandering down,
And ever the question asked:
“If all the world was paper,
And if all the sea was ink,
And if the trees were bread and cheese,
What would we do for drink?”
Then all the folk, both great and small,
Began to beat their brains,
But they could not answer him at all,
In spite of all their pains.
But still he wandered here and there,
This man of great renown,
And still he questioned everywhere,
The folk of Haarlem town:
“If all the world was paper,
And if all the sea was ink,
And if the trees were bread and cheese,
What would we do for drink?”
Full thin he grew, as, day by day,
He toiled with mental strain,
Until the wind blew him away,
And he ne’er was seen again.
And now methinks I hear you say,
“Was ere a man so foolish, pray,
Since first the world began?”
Oh, hush! I’ll tell you secretly
Down East there dwells a man, and he
Is asking questions constantly,
That none can answer, that I see,
Yet he’s a wise-wise man!
H. Pyle