Old Madam Grumph, the pig, had got
A pig-sty of her own;
She is a most un-com-mon pig,
And likes to live alone.
A red-tiled roofing covers in
The one half of her sty;
And, half sur-round-ed by a wall,
Is open to the sky.
There stands the trough, they keep it fill'd
With pig-wash and with parings;
And all the other pigs declare
Dame Grumph has dainty fairings.
They like to see what she's about,
And poke their noses through
A great hole in the pig-sty door,
From whence they get a view.
The pigs, that run about the yard,
Are very lean and tall,
With long hind legs--but Madam Grumph
Is round as any ball.
One autumn day, when she awoke
('Twas very cold and raw),
She found a litter of young pigs
Half buried in the straw.
"Humph," said the dame, "now let me see
How many have I got."
She counted, "Six and four are ten,--
Two dead ones in the lot.
"Eight--That's a nice round family;
A black one and two white;
The rest are spotted like myself,
With prick ears--that's all right.
"What's to be done with those dead things,
They'd better be thrown out,"
Said she, and packed the litter round
The others with her snout.
"What's that, old Grumphy?" said a pig,
Whose snout peeped through the door;
"There's something moving in the straw
I never saw before."
"I wish you'd mind your own affairs,"
Said she, and stepp'd between
The young pigs and the pig-sty door,
Not wishing to be seen.
"I hope you slept well," said the pig,
"The wind was very high;
You are most comfortably lodged--
A most con-ve-ni-ent sty."
"I thought I told you once before
To mind your own affairs,"
Said she, and bristling up her back,
She bit the lean pig's ears.
"Squeak," said the bitten pig, "sque-e-ak,
Old Grumphy's biting hard;"
And all the lean pigs scamp-ed'd up
From all sides of the yard.
They grumbled and they grunted loud,
The squeak'd in every key;
At last another pig peep'd through,
To see what he could see.
Dame Grumph was standing by her pigs,
And looking very proud,
And all the little piggy-wigs
Were squeaking very loud.
"These lovely creatures," said old Grumph,
"These lovely pigs are mine;
There're fat and pink like human babes,
Most pro-mi-sing young swine."
"Indeed," ex-claim'd the peeping pig,
"I never should have thought,
They were so very promising."
Old Grumphy gave a snort.
"They're of a most dis-tin-guished race;
My mother and her brother
Were both im-por-ted from Pekin,--
My pigs are like my mother.
"They never shall as-so-ci-ate
With long-legged pigs like you."
Said she, ad-dress-ing the lean pig,
Whose snout was peeping through.
"Begging your pardon, ma'am
I really think," said he,
"The dif-fer-ence is not so great
As it appears to be.
"If you and I were bacon, ma'am
The dif-fer-ence between
An Irish and a Chinese pig
Would hardly then be seen.
"Give me your comfortable sty,
And some of your nice food,
Our little fa-mi-lies might prove
In-dif-fer-ent-ly good."