Quoth the little brown bat: "I rise with the owl,—
Wisest and best of the feathered fowl;
Let other folks rise, if they will, with the lark,
And be early and bright—I am early and dark!"
Quoth the little brown bat: "I'm awake and up,
When the night-moth sips from the lily's white cup;
While the firefly lanterns are searching the sky,
I am glancing about, with fiery eye!"
Quoth the little brown bat: "The night has its noon
As well as its day—and I'm friends with the moon.
Many a secret she tells me alone,
Which never a bird or a bee has known!"
Quoth the little brown bat: "There is house-room for me,
When the winter comes, in some hollow tree;
Or under barn eaves, near the fragrant hay,
I sleep the dull winter hours away."