TRANSCRIBER’S NOTE
The contractions ’t and n’t for “it” and “not” have a spacebefore and after them, so we see “is n’t” and “wer n’t” and “’t is”in the original text. These spaces are retained in this etext. Theconsistent exceptions in both the text and the etext are “don’t”“can’t” and “won’t”.
Other contractions such as “they’re” and “you’re” have a half-spacein the original text; these words are closed up in the etext.
Obvious typographical errors and punctuation errors have beencorrected after careful comparison with other occurrences withinthe text and consultation of external sources. All misspellingsin the text, and inconsistent or archaic usage, have been retained.
If this little world to-night
Suddenly should fall thro’ space
In a hissing, headlong flight,
Shrivelling from off its face,
As it falls into the sun,
In an instant every trace
Of the little crawling things—
Ants, philosophers, and lice,
Cattle, cockroaches, and kings,
Beggars, millionaires, and mice,
Men and maggots all as one
As it falls into the sun—
Who can say but at the same
Instant from some planet far
A child may watch us and exclaim:
“See the pretty shooting star!”
If this little world to-night
Suddenly should fall thro’ space
In a hissing, headlong flight,
Shrivelling from off its face,
As it falls into the sun,
In an instant every trace
Of the little crawling things—
Ants, philosophers, and lice,
Cattle, cockroaches, and kings,
Beggars, millionaires, and mice,
Men and maggots all as one
As it falls into the sun—
Who can say but at the same
Instant from some planet far
A child may watch us and exclaim:
“See the pretty shooting star!”
The Bashful
Earthquake
& Other FABLES
and VERSES by
OLIVER HERFORD
with many pictures
by the Author
New York: Published byCharles Scribner’s Sons inthe Autumn of MDCCCXCVIII
Copyright, 1898,
By Oliver Herford.