Two Points of View.
I.
The woodmen were toiling with axe and wedge,1
Between the fir-tree rows,2
The midges were dancing, dancing, dancing,3
Until the evening’s close.4
Said the gnat that led the waltzers there,5
“ Look at those foolish men !6
They work while we take our pleasure,7
Let’s go on dancing, then.”8
II.
The picnic over, the dance went round,9
The bugle blew clear and the fiddle began
;10
Quoth the ant to her train of workmen small,11
“ Industry see is unknown to man.”12
“ We’ll hoard our pile of hard-earned corn,13
Then we shall be rich when they are poor ;14
If summer’s the time for them to waste,15
Summer’s the time for us to store.”16