Classic Poem

If you were a merry Mer-boy
Beneath the rolling tide,
If you had been good, and better than good,
And had a Mer-Father who could — and would —
He might give you a sea-horse to ride!
You could charge with the breakers
And fly with the foam,
And roll with the rollers,
And never go home
Till you ached in your mer-inside.

If you were a slender Mer-girl,
Below the shimmering wet,
If you had been good, and better than good,
And a Mer-mother who could and would —
She might give you a sea-puss to pet!
A soft sea-pussy to curl and purr,
On you would be ever so fond of her,
And her sly little tricks forget.

If you were a Mer-child,
Baby or grown quite old,
If you had been good and better than good,
And had Mer-parents who could — and would —
They might give you a galleon's gold!
Golden playthings to roll and throw,
To build gold houses and lay them low,
Easy and smooth to hold.