Merry Tales

Chapter 11: THE PIGTAIL

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About This Book

A curated collection of short, cheerful narratives and poems retells myths, legends, and folk tales from diverse traditions for young readers. Stories emphasize gentle surprises and happy endings while omitting much of the grimmer content common to older folk versions. Language and vocabulary are graded for third and fourth grade reading, and many pieces lend themselves to dramatization in classroom or home. Entries range from animal fables and moral tales to fairy and wonder stories, often adapted to highlight themes of cleverness, generosity, and practical wisdom. A concise preface and acknowledgments guide teachers and parents in selecting items for supplementary reading and shared storytelling.

THE PIGTAIL

There lived a sage in days of yore,
And he a handsome pigtail wore;
But wondered much and sorrowed more
Because it hung behind him.

He mused upon the curious case,
And vowed he’d change the pigtail’s place,
And have it hanging at his face,
Not dangling there behind him.

Says he, “The mystery I’ve found.
I’ll turn me round,”—He turned him round,—
But still it hung behind him.

Then round and round and out and in,
All day the puzzled sage did spin
In vain; it mattered not a pin,
The pigtail hung behind him.

And up and down and in and out
He turned, but still the pigtail stout
Hung dangling there behind him;
And though his efforts never slack,
And though he twist and twirl and tack,
Alas! still faithful to his back
The pigtail hangs behind him.