ccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccc
THE LITTLE RED HEN:
The Retelling of an Old English Folktale, by Suzie-Jean
ccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccc
"The Little Red Hen" is a very popular story from England.
,
Folktales were often used to teach moral lessons. This story teaches about responsibility and hard work. The story has been retold and published more than 100 times. This retelling is done in rhyme.
* * *
,,Long ago,
,far away,
,..,in a neat little house,
,Lived a Little Red Hen, and a dog, cat and mouse.
The Little Red Hen was the animal who,
Took care of herself, and the other three too.
She worked and she worked and again worked some more.
She cooked all the meals and she washed every floor.
And dusted the furniture, scrubbed every wall,
,nothing at all.
The work in the house, well, it had to be done,
And who was to do it?
The Hen was the one.
..The dog spent his hours just snoozing away.
..The cat met with friends and she chatted all day.
And as for the mouse, he was no use at all,
. A sittin’ and broodin’ away in the hall..
*
One morning in spring, as she walked on a road,
Returning from market with quite a big load.
She stopped for a moment 'cause what she had found,
A few tiny wheat seeds below on the ground.
“I’ll plant these small wheats seeds," the little Hen said.
"They'll be in the in the ground, way before I'm in bed."
"Hmmm....
“Perhaps there’s assistance, I think I shall ask,
.If someone will help me in doing this task.”
“Excuse me,”
.....she asked of the dog, cat and mouse,
"Who’ll help me plant seeds in the back of the house?”.....
.......
.............. “Not I, “ said the weary dog, “I have to sleep.”
.... .“Nor I” said the cat, “ I’ve appointments to keep.”
.....And as for the mouse, he was no use at all,
......A sniffin’ and sneezin’ away in the hall.
“I’ll do it myself,”
........ said the Little Red Hen.
""Plant all of the wheat seeds, I have only ten.”
“But that’s not enough to get wheat seeds to grow.
They need to be cared for and watered you know.”
"I should have assistance, I really must ask,
.If someone will help me complete this new task.”
“Who’ll help me,”
.........the Hen asked the dog, cat and mouse.
.Take care of the wheat plants in back of the house?”
..........“Not I, “ said the weary dog, “I have to sleep.”
.........“Nor I” said the cat, “ I’ve appointments to keep.”
.........And as for the mouse, he was no use at all—
..........Just thinkin’ of nothin’ away in the hall.
“I’ll do it myself,”
........... said the Little Red Hen
.‘That’s right!
......... I will work, all alone---- once again.’
.....................................................*
And then came the Summer and soon it was Fall.
By now all the plants had grown up golden tall.
“Well harvesting wheat plants must also be done,”
“I’ll go out today in the bright morning sun.”
.She added,
........ “before I go out I will ask,
...................... . If someone will help me in doing this task.
................. ..............................
“Who’ll help me,”
....the Hen asked the dog , cat and mouse.
........... .“In cutting the wheat out in back of the house?”
........“Not I, “ said the weary dog, “I have to sleep.”
...“Nor I” said the cat, “ I’ve appointments to keep.”
....And as for the mouse, he was no use at all,
....A hummin’ a melody out in the hall.
The Hen cut the wheat, but another job still.—.................................................... ..
She knew she must carry the stalks to the mill.
.The little Red Hen thought that once more she’d ask,
.If someone would help in completing this task.
........ “Not I, “ said the weary dog, “I have to sleep.”
... .“Nor I” said the cat, “ I’ve appointments to keep.”
......And as for the mouse, he was no use at all,
.....A rollin’ and laughin’ away in the hall.
Well no one, again, would pitch in and so then,
.Right off to the mill by herself went the Hen
The miller ground all of the wheat plants to flour.
The whole process took slightly over an hour.
The Little Red Hen returned home with the sack,
.A big bag of flour attached to her back.
..............The dog was still snoozin’ and at the front door,
..........The Cat and her girlfriends were babbling some more.
..........And as for the mouse, he was no use at all,
.................A runnin’ and kickin’ a little blue ball.
The Little Red Hen stored the sack on the shelf,
She even did that,
..........all alone by herself.
The Hen said days later,
..............“I think that I may---
.........................Go down to the kitchen, do baking today.”
“Perhaps I’ll get help, I will go now and ask,
If someone can join me in doing this task.”
.........................................
“Who’ll help me,”
..The Hen asked the dog, cat and mouse.
“Bake bread in the kitchen in our small house?”
..........“Not I, “ said the weary dog, “I have to sleep.”
........“Nor I” said the cat, “ I’ve appointments to keep.”
........And as for the mouse, he was no use at all,
,,,,,,,,,He sat watching spiders spin webs on the wall.
.So The Little Red Hen baked the bread and the smell—
.Filled the parlor, the bedrooms, the hallway as well.
*
The Hen shouted out
......."Who'll help eat this fine bread?"
Three animals came and together they said,
“Oh ! we will, yes we will, ,we most surely will.
We’ll help you to eat it, our stomachs we’ll fill.”
.But the Little Red Hen was more wise than before.
She stood straight up tall on the hard kitchen floor.
And said,
..“by myself I picked up the 10 seeds.
I planted them, watered them, pulled out the weeds.”
“I cut the grown plants, kept a hard working will,
And all by myself brought the stalks to the mill.”
.“I stayed at the mill, waiting over an hour,
..Until all the wheat grains were ground into flour.”
....“I carried the flour home all by myself,
...Then stored the big sack way up high on the shelf.”
.........“And several days later, one morning I stood,
................BY MYSELF, BAKING BREAD,
...............BECAUSE NONE OF YOU WOULD .”
......“So , NO, you will not, you may not share this bread.
HUMPH!!!
.......If I let you eat it, I’M OUT OF MY HEAD!!
...........“I’ll eat it alone”,
...........are the strong words they heard.
And that’s what she did, very true to her word.
*
So while her three housemates stood still looking dumb,
The Little Red Hen ate the bread, every crumb.
YES—
there they all stood while the Hen ate the bread.
And when she was finished, she turned and she said,
‘It’s nice to have fun, and for me it’s the same.
But living this life isn't always a game!’
The dog, cat and mouse learned a lesson that day.
,,,,,,,,PITCH IN , GIVE SOME HELP,
,,,the responsible way.
