youtu.be/9FFfbSWbLWw Yertle the Turtle ----------------- by dr. seuss On the far-away island of Sala-ma-Sond, Yertle the Turtle was king of the pond. A nice little pond. It was clean. It was neat. The water was warm. There was plenty to eat. The turtles had everything turtles might need. And they were all happy. Quite happy indeed. They were... untill Yertle, the king of them all, Decided the kingdom he ruled was too small. Im ruler, said Yertle, of all that I see. But I dont see enough. Thats the trouble with me. With this stone for a throne, I look down on my pond But I cannot look down on the places beyond. This throne that I sit on is too, too low down. It ought to be higher! he said with a frown. If I could sit high, how much greater Id be! What a king! Id be ruler of all that I see! So Yertle, the Turtle King, lifted his hand And Yertle, the Turtle King, gave a command. He ordered nine turtles to swim to his stone And, using these turtles, he built a new throne. He made each turtle stand on another ones back And he piled them all up in a nine-turtle stack. And then Yertle climbed up. He sat down on the pile. What a wonderful view! He could see most a mile! All mine! Yertle cried. Oh, the things I now rule! Im the king of a cow! And Im the king of a mule! Im the king of a house! And, whats more, beyond that Im the king of a blueberry bush and a cat! Im Yertle the Turtle! Oh, marvelous me! For I am the ruler of all that I see! And all through the morning, he sat up there high Saying over and over, A grat king am I! Until long about noon. Then he heard a faint sigh. Whats that? snapped the king And he looked down the stack. And he saw, at the bottom, a turtle named Mack. Just a part of his throne. And this plain little turtle Looked up and he said, Beg your pardon, King Yertle. Ive pains in my back and my shoulders and knees. How long must we stand here, Your Majesty, please? SILENCE! the King of the Turtles barked back. Im king, and youre only a turtle named Mack. You stay in your place while I sit here and rule. Im the king of a cow! And Im the king of a mule! Im the king of a house! And a bush! And a cat! But that isnt all. Ill do better than that! My throne shall be higher! his royal voice thundered, So pile up more turtles! I want bout two hundred! Turtles! More turtles! he bellowed and brayed. And the turtles way down in the pond were afraid. They trembled. They shook. But they came. They obeyed. >From all over the pond, they came swimming by dozens. Whole families of turtles, with uncles and cousins. And all of them stepped on the head of poor Mack. One after another, they climbed up the stack. Then Yertle the Turtle was perched up so high, He could see fourty miles from his throne in the sky! Hooray! shouted Yertle. Im the king of the trees! Im king of the birds! And Im king of the bees! Im king of the butterflies! King of the air! Ah, me! What a throne! What a wonderful chair! Im Yertle the Turtle! Oh, marvelous me! For I am the ruler of all that I see! Then again, from below, in the great heavy stack, Came a groan from that plain little turtle named Mack. Your Majesty, please... I dont like to complain, But down here below, we are feeling great pain. I know, up on top you are seeing great sights, But down here at the bottom we, too, should have rights. We turtles cant stand it. Our shells will all crack! Besides, we need food. We are starving! groaned Mack. You hush up your mouth! howled the mighty King Yertle. Youve no right to talk to the worlds highest turtle. I rule from the clouds! Over land! Over sea! Theres nothing, no, NOTHING, thats higher than me! But, while he was shouting, he saw with suprise That the moon of the evening was starting to rise Up over his head in the darkening skies. Whats THAT? snorted Yertle. Say, what IS that thing That dares to be higher than Yertle the King? I shall not allow it! Ill go higher still! Ill build my throne higher! I can and I will! Ill call some more turtles. Ill stack em to heaven! I need bout five thousand, six hundred and seven! But, as Yertle, the Turtle King, lifted his hand And started to order and give the command, That plain little turtle below in the stack, That plain little turtle whose name was just Mack, Decided hed taken enough. And he had. And that plain little lad got a bit mad. And that plain little Mack did a plain little thing. He burped! And his burp shook the throne of the king! And Yertle the Turtle, the king of the trees, The king of the air and the birds and the bees, The king of a house and a cow and a mule... Well, that was the end of the Turtle Kings rule! For Yertle, the King of all Sala-ma-Sond, Fell off his high throne and fell Plunk! in the pond! And tosay the great Yertle, that Marvelous he, Is King of the Mud. That is all he can see. And the turtles, of course... all the turtles are free As turtles and, maybe, all creatures should be.
Posted on: Fri, 17 Oct 2014 02:45:52 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015