Seven

[Verse 1]

The Mole had been working very hard all the morning, spring-cleaning his little home

First with brooms, then with dusters; then on ladders and steps and chairs, with a brush and a pail of whitewash

'Til he had dust in his throat and eyes, and splashes of whitewash all over his black fur

Spring was moving in the air above and in the earth below and around him

Penetrating even his dark and lowly little house with its spirit of divine discontent and longing

It was small wonder, then, that he suddenly flung down his brush on the floor

And said, ‘Bother!’ Something up above was calling him

[Chorus 1]

So he scraped and scratched and scrabbled and scrooged

And then scrooged again and scrabbled and scratched and scraped

Working busily with his little paws and muttering to himself

"Up we go! Up we go!" 'til at last, pop!

His snout came out into the sunlight, and he found himself rolling in the warm grass of a great meadow

"This is fine!" he said to himself, and

Jumping off all his four legs at once

In the joy of living and the delight of spring

He pursued his way across the meadow 'til he reached the hedge on the further side

[Verse 2]

Hither and thither through the meadows he rambled busily

Finding everywhere birds building, flowers budding, leaves thrusting

Everything happy, and progressive, and occupied. And instead of having an uneasy conscience pricking him

He somehow could only feel how jolly it was to be the only idle dog among all these busy citizens

[Chorus 2]

He thought his happiness was complete when

As he meandered aimlessly along, suddenly he stood by the edge of a full-fed river

Never in his life had he seen a river before

This sleek, sinuous, full-bodied animal, chasing and chuckling

Gripping things with a gurgle and leaving them with a laugh

To fling itself on fresh playmates that shook themselves free, and were caught and held again

All was a-shake and a-shiver

Glints and gleams and sparkles

Rustle and swirl, chatter and bubble

The mole was bewitched, entranced, fascinated

By the side of the river he trotted as one trots, when very small, by the side of a man who holds one spell-bound by exciting stories

And when tired at last, he sat on the bank, while the river chattered on to him

A babbling procession of the best stories in the world

[Outro]

Sent from the heart of the earth to be told at last to the insatiable sea

The mole waggled his toes from sheer happiness

Spread his chest with a sigh of full contentment

And leaned back blissfully

"What a day I’m having!" he said