LITTLE Monkey chanced to find
A walnut in its outward rind;
He snatched the prize with eager haste,
And bit it, but its bitter taste
Soon made him throw the fruit away.
Soon made him throw the fruit away.
“I've heard,” he cried, “my mother say
(But she was wrong), the fruit was good;
Preserve me from such bitter food!”
A monkey by experience taught,
The falling prize with pleasure caught;
Took off the husk and broke the shell,
The kernel peeled, and liked it well.
“Walnuts,” said he, “are good and sweet,
But must be opened ere you eat.”
And thus in life you'll always find
Labor comes first—reward behind.