My child, behold the elephant;
Observe his amplitude;
You will perceive that he must weigh
Ten tons, completely nude.

Observe, I beg, how slow he walks,
How stately is his pace;
See with what dignity he stalks
To get from place to place.

And now observe the agile flea,
Endowed with muscle strength
That sends it hurtling every jump
One hundred times its length.

My child, how wise are Nature's laws!
How horrid it would be
If elephants went hurtling 'round
Promiscuous like the flea.