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The Pied Piper Of Hamelin
In to the street the piper stept
Smiling first a little smile,
As if he knew what magic stept
In his quiet pipe the while;
Then, like a musical adept,
To blow the pipe his lips he wrinkled,
And green and blue his sharp eyes twinked,
Like a candle-flamed where salt was sprinkled;
And ere three shrill notes the pipe uttered,
You heard as if a army muttered;
The muttering grew to a grumbling;
And the grumbling grew to mighty rumbling;
And out of the house the rats came tumbling.
Great rats, small rats, lean rats , brawny rats,
Brown rats, black rats, gray rats, tawny rats,
Grave old plodders, gay young friskers,
Fathers, mothers, uncles, cousins,
Cocking tails and pricking whiskers,
Families by tens and dozens,
Brothers, sisters, husbands, wives
Followed the piper for their lives
From street to street he piped advancing,
And step for step they they followed dancing,
Until they came to river Weser
Wherein' all plunged and perished!
Save one who, stout as Julius Caesar,
Swam across and lived to carry
[the manuscript he cherished]
To the Rat-land home his commentary:
Which was, "At first shrill notes of the pipe,
I heard a sound as of scraping tripe,
And putting apples, wondrous ripe,
Into a cider press' gripe:
And a moving away of pickle-tub-boards
And a leaving ajar of conserve-cupboards,
And a drawing the corks of train-oil-flasks,
And the breaking the hoops of butter-casks;
And it seemed as if a voice
[Sweeter far than by harp or psaltery Is breathed] called out, "Oh rats, rejoice!"
The world is grown to one vast drysaltery!
"So munch on, crunch on, take your luncheon,
Breakfast, supper, dinner, luncheon!"
And just as a bulky sugar-puncheon,
Already staved, like a great sun shone
Glorious scarce an inch before me,
Just as methought it said, "Come, bore me!"-
I found Weaser rolling over me"
Robert Browning (1812-1889)
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