The Old Woman and Her Pig
an English folk tale
An Old woman was sweeping her house, and she found a little crooked
sixpence.
"What," said she, "shall I do with this little sixpence? I will
go to the market, and buy a little pig."
And so she did.
As she was coming home, she came to a little stile.
But the piggy wouldn't go over the stile.
She went a little further, and she met a dog.
So she said to him:
"Dog, dog! Bite pig.
Piggy won't go over the stile,
and I shan't get home tonight."
But the dog wouldn't.
She went a little further, and she met a stick.
So she said:
"Stick! Stick! Beat pig!
Dog won't bite pig.
Piggy won't get over the stile,
and I shan't get home tonight."
But the stick wouldn't.
She went a little further, and she met a fire.
So she said:
"Fire! Fire! Burn stick!
Stick won't beat dog.
Dog won't bite pig.
Piggy won't get over the stile,
and I shan't get home tonight."
But the fire wouldn't.
She went a little further, and she met some water.
So she she said:
"Water! Water! Quench fire.
Fire won't burn stick.
Stick won't beat dog.
Dog won't bite pig.
Piggy won't get over the stile,
and I shan't get home tonight."
But the water wouldn't.
She went a little further, and she met an ox.
So she said:
"Ox! Ox! Drink water!
Water won't quench fire.
Fire won't burn stick.
Stick won't beat dog.
Dog won't bite pig.
Piggy won't get over the stile,
and I shan't get home tonight."
But the ox wouldn't.
She went a little further, and she met a butcher.
So she said:
"Butcher! Butcher! Kill ox!
Ox won't drink water.
Water won't quench fire.
Fire won't burn stick.
Stick won't beat dog.
Dog won't bite pig.
Piggy won't go over the stile,
and I shan't get home tonight."
But the butcher wouldn't.
She went a little further and met a rope.
So she said:
"Rope! Rope! Hang butcher!
Butcher won't kill ox.
Ox won't drink water.
Water won't quench fire.
Fire won't burn stick.
Stick won't beat dog.
Dog won't bite pig.
Piggy won't get over the stile,
and I shan't get home tonight."
But the rope wouldn't.
She went a little farther, and she met a rat.
So she said:
"Rat! Rat! Gnaw rope!
Rope won't hang butcher.
Butcher won't kill ox.
Ox won't drink water.
Water won't quench fire.
Fire won't burn stick.
Stick won't beat dog.
Dog won't bite pig.
Piggy won't get over the stile,
and I shan't get home tonight."
But the rat wouldn't.
She went a little further, and she met a cat.
So she said:
"Cat! Cat! Kill rat!
Rat won't gnaw rope.
Rope won't hang butcher.
Butcher won't kill ox.
Ox won't drink water.
Water won't quench fire.
Fire won't burn stick.
Stick won't beat dog.
Dog won't bite pig.
Piggy won't get over the stile,
and I shan't get home tonight."
But the cat said to her:
"If you will go to yonder cow,
and fetch me a saucer of milk,
I will kill the rat."
So away went the old woman to the cow.
But the cow said to her:
"If you will go to yonder haystack,
and fetch me a handful of hay,
I'll give you the milk."
So away went the old woman to the haystack,
and she brought the hay to the cow.
As soon as the cow had eaten the hay,
she gave the old woman the milk.
So away went the old woman with the milk
in a saucer to the cat.
As soon as the cat had lapped up the milk,
the cat began to kill the rat.
The rat began to gnaw the rope.
The rope began hang the butcher.
The butcher began to kill the ox.
The ox began to drink the water.
The water began to quench the fire.
The fire began to burn the stick.
The stick began to beat the dog.
The dog began to bite the pig.
The little pig in a fright
jumped over the stile,
and so the old woman
got home that night.
(Note: There is no moral to this story.)
(Note: Unless it be: Anything can be a seed if it's in the right
time and the right dynamic.)
(Note: Wouldn't it have been easier if the old woman had biten
the pig herself?)