The Bumblebee

James Whitcomb Riley 1849 (Greenfield) – 1916 (Indianapolis)



1     You better not fool with a Bumblebee! --
2     Ef you don't think they can sting -- you'll see!
3     They're lazy to look at, an' kind o' go
4     Buzzin' an' bummin' aroun' so slow,
5     An' ac' so slouchy an' all fagged out,
6     Danglin' their legs as they drone about
7     The hollyhawks 'at they can't climb in
8     'Ithout ist a-tumble-un out ag'in!
9     Wunst I watched one climb clean 'way
10   In a jimson-blossom, I did, one day, --
11   An' I ist grabbed it -- an' nen let go --
12   An' "Ooh-ooh! Honey! I told ye so!"
13   Says The Raggedy Man; an' he ist run
14   An' pullt out the stinger, an' don't laugh none,
15   An' says: "They has be'n folks, I guess,
16   'At thought I wuz predjudust, more er less, --
17   Yit I still muntain 'at a Bumblebee
18   Wears out his welcome too quick fer me!"

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

50 sec read
97

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABCCDDEEFFCCGGHHAB
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 831
Words 164
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 18

James Whitcomb Riley

James Whitcomb Riley was an American writer, poet, and best-selling author. During his lifetime he was known as the "Hoosier Poet" and "Children's Poet" for his dialect works and his children's poetry respectively. more…

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    "The Bumblebee" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Mar. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/21044/the-bumblebee>.

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