Against Idleness and Mischief
Against Idleness and Mischief
Original Text
I. Watts, Divine Songs Attempted in Easy Language for the Use of CHILDREN (London: M. Lawrence, 1715), p. 29. See facsimile reproduction, with introduction by J. H. P. Pafford (London: Oxford University Press, 1971), p.177. PR 3763 W37 A65 1971 Robarts Library.
1How doth the little busy Bee
2 Improve each shining Hour,
3And gather Honey all the day
4 From every opening Flower!
5How skilfully she builds her Cell!
6 How neat she spreads the Wax!
7And labours hard to store it well
8 With the sweet Food she makes.
9In Works of Labour or of Skill
10 I would be busy too:
11For Satan finds some Mischief still
12 For idle Hands to do.
13In Books, or Work, or healthful Play
14 Let my first Years be past,
15That I may give for every Day
16 Some good Account at last.
Publication Start Year
1715
RPO poem Editors
Ian Lancashire
RPO Edition
RPO 1998.
Rhyme