The Goose
By Alfred Lord Tennyson
I knew an old wife lean and poor,
Her rags scarce held together;
There strode a stranger to the door,
And it was windy weather.
He held a goose upon his arm,
He utterd rhyme and reason:
Here, take the goose, and keep you warm
It is a stormy season.
She caught the white goose by the leg,
A goosetwas no great matter.
The goose let fall a golden egg
With cackle and with clatter.
She dropt the goose, and caught the pelf,
And ran to tell her neighbors,
And blessd herself, and cursed herself,
And rested from her labors;
And feeding high, and living soft,
Grew plump and able-bodied,
Until the grave churchwarden doffd,
The parson smirkd and nodded.
So sitting, served by man and maid,
She felt her heart grow prouder;
But ah! the more the white goose laid
It clackd and cackled louder.
It clutterd here, it chuckled there,
It stirrd the old wifes mettle;
She shifted in her elbow-chair,
And hurld the pan and kettle.
A quinsy choke thy cursed note!
Then waxd her anger stronger.
Go, take the goose, and wring her throat,
I will not hear it longer.
Then yelpd the cur, and yawld the cat,
Ran Gaffer, stumbled Gammer.
The goose flew this way and flew that,
And filld the house with clamor.
As head and heels upon the floor
They flounderd all together,
There strode a stranger to the door,
And it was windy weather.
He took the goose upon his arm,
He utterd words of scorning:
So keep you cold, or keep you warm,
It is a stormy morning.
The wild wind rang from park and plain,
And round the attics rumbled,
Till all the tables danced again,
And half the chimneys tumbled.
The glass blew in, the fire blew out,
The blast was hard and harder.
Her cap blew off, her gown blew up,
And a whirlwind cleard the larder;
And while on all sides breaking loose
Her household fled the danger,
Quoth she, The devil take the goose,
And God forget the stranger!