Anil the squirrel was bold and brave,
He could race, he could leap,
He could climb like a knave.
He looked up a tree
And what did he see?
This is what he saw:
A mango hung heavy on a high green bough,
Yellow and hard and ripe to eat NOW.
The rest of the mangoes were rotten or raw.
Anil the squirrel clambered up that tree.
'I want that mango,
By bingo, by bango,
I want that mango', said he.
Now Kuruvi the sparrow
Flew straight as an arrow,
Straight from her banyan tree,
And she flew to the top
And landed with a hop,
Right at the spot where the squirrel
Was perched at his peril,
Where the frisky young Anil
Was eating his fill
Of the big, juicy mango,
By bingo, by bango,
He was eating of his mango.
'Hey, leave me a bite, '
Said Kuruvi to Anil.
'If you hog the whole mango
With your bingo and bango,
It just isn't right,
You'll make yourself horribly ill.'
Anil was dripping with mango juice
From his whiskers to his tail.
'Oh Kuruvi, my Kuruvi,
How can I refuse
To share with you this mango treat?
Never shall I fail
To give you this utterly sweet
And scrumptuous fruit.
'i'm greedy but fair,
I have saved you a share,
I have saved you half a share of the loot.
By bingo, by bango,
We shall both have the mango.'
So Kuruvi pecked
With her bill and she wrecked
What was left of the beaut-
-iful and luscious fruit.
All that was left was the mango-stone,
Scraped clean and bare as a doggie's bone.
They tossed it and picked it,
They caught it and kicked it,
And they played till the day was done.
- - - - -
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
Such an interesting poem.... Not only children but even the elders can derive a lot of joy out of it... Anil the squirrel and Kuruvi the bird are drawn so vivid... .All that was left was the mango-stone, Scraped clean and bare as a doggie's bone. They tossed it and picked it, They caught it and kicked it, And they played till the day was done. A beautiful end to this hilarious poem!