My little white kitten's
Asleep on my knee;
As white as snow
Or the lily is she;
She wakes up with a purr
When I stroke her soft fur;
Was there ever another
White kitten like her?
My little white kitten
Now wants to go out
And frolic, with no one
To watch her about:
"Little kitten," I say,
"Just an hour you may stay;
And be careful in choosing
Your places to play."
But night has come down,
And I hear a loud "mew";
I open the door, and my
Kitten comes through;
My white kitten! ah me!
Oh! can it be she--
This sad looking beggar-like
Cat that I see?
What ugly grey marks
On her side and her back!
Her nose, once as pink
As a rosebud, is black!
Oh! I very well know,
Though she does not say so,
She has been where white kittens
Ought never to go.
If little good children
Would wish to do right,
If little white kittens
Would keep themselves white,
It is needful that they
In their houses should stay,
Or be careful in choosing
Their places to play.