The Artful Ant

By Oliver Herford

Annotations by Rene Marzuk

Once on a time an artful Ant 
    Resolved to give a ball, 
For tho’ in stature she was scant, 
    She was not what you'd call 
A shy or bashful little Ant. 
    (She was not shy at all.)

She sent her invitations through 
    The forest far and wide, 
To all the Birds and Beasts she knew, 
    And many more beside. 
(“You never know what you can do,” 
    Said she, “until you 've tried.”)

Five-score acceptances came in 
    Faster than she could read. 
Said she: “Dear me! I’d best begin
    To stir myself indeed!”
(A pretty pickle she was in, 
    With five-score guests to feed!) 

The artful Ant sat up all night, 
    A-thinking o’er and o’er, 
How she could make from nothing, quite 
    Enough to feed five-score. 
(Between ourselves I think she might 
    Have thought of that before.) 

She thought, and thought, and thought all night,
    And all the following day,
Till suddenly she struck a bright
    Idea, which was— (but say!
Just what it was I am not quite
    At liberty to say.)

Enough, that when the festal day
    Came round, the Ant was seen
To smile in a peculiar way,
    As if— (but you may glean
From seeing tragic actors play
    The kind of smile I mean.)

From here and there and everywhere
    The happy creatures came,
The Fish alone could not be there.
    (And they were not to blame.
“They really could not stand the air,
    But thanked her just the same.”)

The lion, bowing very low,
    Said to the Ant: “I ne’er
Since Noah’s Ark remember so
    Delightful an affair.”
(A pretty compliment, although
    He really wasn’t there.)

They danced, and danced, and danced, and danced;
    It was a jolly sight!
They pranced, and pranced, and pranced, and pranced,
    Till it was nearly light!
And then their thoughts to supper chanced
    To turn. (As well they might!)

Then said the Ant: “It’s only right 
    That supper should begin, 
And if you will be so polite, 
    Pray take each other in.”
(The emphasis was very slight, 
But rested on “Take in.”) 

They needed not a second call, 
    They took the hint. Oh, —yes, 
The largest guest “took in” the small, 
    The small “took in” the less, 
The less “took in” the least of all. 
    (It was a great success!)

As for the rest—but why spin out 
    This narrative of woe?— 
The Lion took them in about 
    As fast as they could go. 
(And went home looking very stout, 
    And walking very slow.) 

And when the Ant, not long ago, 
    Lost to all sense of shame, 
Tried it again, I chance to know 
    That not one answer came. 
(Save from the Fish, who “could not go, 
But thanked her all the same.”) 

HERFORD, OLIVER. “THE ARTFUL ANT,” IN ARTFUL ANTICKS, 4-9. NEW YORK: THE CENTURY CO., 1897.