The Peacock 'At Home' AND The Butterfly's Ball AND The Fancy Fair

Excerpt

TheButterfly’s Ball and the Grasshopper’s FeastsExcited the spleen of the Birds and the Beasts:For their mirth and good cheer—of the Bee was the theme,And the Gnat blew his horn, as he danced in the beam;’Twas humm’d by the Beetle, ’twas buzz’d by the Fly,And sung by the myriads that sport through the sky.The Quadrupeds listen’d with sullen displeasure,But the tenants of Air were enraged beyond measure.
ThePeacockdisplay’d his bright plumes to the Sun,And, addressing his Mates, thus indignant begun:

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“Shall we, like domestic, inelegant Fowls,As unpolish’d as Geese, and as stupid as Owls,Sit tamely at home, hum-drum with our Spouses,While Crickets and Butterflies open their houses?Shall such mean little Insects pretend to the fashion?Cousin Turkey-cock, well may you be in a passion!If I suffer such insolent airs to prevail,May Juno pluck out all the eyes in my tail!So a Fête I will give, and my taste I’ll display,And send out my cards for St. Valentine’s Day.”
[p7]This determined, six fleetCarrier-Pigeonswent outTo invite all the birds to Sir Argus’s Rout.The nest-lovingTurtle-Dovesent an excuse;Dame Partletlay in, as did good Mrs.Goose.TheTurkey, poor soul! was confined to the rip;For all her young brood had just fail’d with the pip.ThePartridgewas ask’d; but a Neighbour hard byHad engaged a snug party to meet in a Pie:And theWheat-eardeclined, recollecting her Cousins,Last year, to a feast were invited by dozens,—But, alas! they return’d not; and she had no tasteTo appear in a costume of vine-leaves or paste.TheWoodcockpreferr’d his lone haunt on the moor;And the Traveller,Swallow, was still on his tour;While theCuckoo, who should have been one of the guests,Was rambling on visits to other Birds’ nests.But the rest all accepted the kind invitation,And much bustle it caused in the plumed creation.

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Such ruffling of feathers, such pruning of coats,Such chirping, such whistling, such clearing of throats,Such polishing bills, and such oiling of pinions,Had never been known in the biped dominions!TheTailor-Birdoffer’d to make up new clothesFor all the young Birdlings who wish’d to be Beaux:[p9]He made for theRobina doublet of red,And a new velvet cap for theGoldfinch’shead;He added a plume to theWren’sgolden crest,And spangled with silver theGuinea-Fowl’sbreast;While theHalcyonbent over the streamlet to viewHow pretty she looked in her bodice of blue!

 

Thus adorn’d, they set off for the Peacock’s abode,With the guideIndicator,who show’d them the road:From all points of the compass flock’d birds of all feather,And theParrotcan tell who and who were together.[p10]There was LordCassowaryand GeneralFlamingo,And DonPeroqueto, escaped from Domingo:From his high rock-built eyrie theEaglecame forth,And the Duchess ofPtarmiganflew from the North.[p11]TheGrebeand theEider-Duckcame up by water,With theSwan, who brought out the youngCygnet, her Daughter....