A merry little monkey met a sorry little ape,
In the edges of the sedges by the sea,
The one he wore a tippet and the other wore a cape,
And they both of them were cold as they could be.

Said the monkey “I am freezing
And I find it isn't pleasing,”
But the other only answered with a moan;
Said the monkey, “Let's run faster
Till we find a mustard plaster,
Or something that will warm us to the bone.”

But the doleful ape suggested
That they get a little rested
In the masses of the grasses by the sea,
So they laid them down together
In the chilly wintry weather,
And they both were frozen stiff as they could be.