Nature
What the Old Cow Said
Translated by Isaac Taylor Headland (1900) · From Chinese Mother Goose Rhymes (1900)
A sad old cow to herself once said,
While the north wind whistled through her shed:
"To head a drum they will take my skin,
And they'll file my bones for a big hair-pin,
The scraps of bone they will make into dice,
And sell them off at a very low price;
My sinews they'll make into whips, I wot,
And my flesh they'll put in a big soup pot."
Cite this poem
MLA
Anonymous Chinese nursery rhymes. “What the Old Cow Said.” Translated by Isaac Taylor Headland. Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/anonymous-chinese-nursery/30/.
Chicago
Anonymous Chinese nursery rhymes. “What the Old Cow Said.” Translated by Isaac Taylor Headland. Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/anonymous-chinese-nursery/30/.
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