by professorpan » Tue Oct 31, 2006 1:09 pm
<!--EZCODE IMAGE START--><img src="http://images.amazon.com/images/P/0394800877.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg" style="border:0;"/><!--EZCODE IMAGE END--><br><br>On the far-away island of Sala-ma-Sond,<br>Yertle the Turtle was king of the pond.<br>A nice little pond. It was clean. It was neat.<br>The water was warm. There was plenty to eat.<br>The turtles had everything turtles might need.<br>And they were all happy. Quite happy indeed.<br><br>They were... untill Yertle, the king of them all,<br>Decided the kingdom he ruled was too small.<br>"I'm ruler", said Yertle, "of all that I see.<br>But I don't see enough. That's the trouble with me.<br>With this stone for a throne, I look down on my pond<br>But I cannot look down on the places beyond.<br>This throne that I sit on is too, too low down.<br>It ought to be higher!" he said with a frown.<br>"If I could sit high, how much greater I'd be!<br>What a king! I'd be ruler of all that I see!"<br><br>So Yertle, the Turtle King, lifted his hand<br>And Yertle, the Turtle King, gave a command.<br>He ordered nine turtles to swim to his stone<br>And, using these turtles, he built a new throne.<br>He made each turtle stand on another one's back<br>And he piled them all up in a nine-turtle stack.<br>And then Yertle climbed up. He sat down on the pile.<br>What a wonderful view! He could see 'most a mile!<br>"All mine!" Yertle cried. "Oh, the things I now rule!<br>I'm the king of a cow! And I'm the king of a mule!<br>I'm the king of a house! And, what's more, beyond that<br>I'm the king of a blueberry bush and a cat!<br>I'm Yertle the Turtle! Oh, marvelous me!<br>For I am the ruler of all that I see!"<br><br>And all through the morning, he sat up there high<br>Saying over and over, "A great king am I!"<br>Until 'long about noon. Then he heard a faint sigh.<br>"What's that?" snapped the king<br>And he looked down the stack.<br>And he saw, at the bottom, a turtle named Mack.<br>Just a part of his throne. And this plain little turtle<br>Looked up and he said, "Beg your pardon, King Yertle.<br>I've pains in my back and my shoulders and knees.<br>How long must we stand here, Your Majesty, please?"<br>"SILENCE!" the King of the Turtles barked back.<br>"I'm king, and you're only a turtle named Mack."<br>"You stay in your place while I sit here and rule.<br>I'm the king of a cow! And I'm the king of a mule!<br>I'm the king of a house! And a bush! And a cat!<br>But that isn't all. I'll do better than that!<br><br>My throne shall be higher!" his royal voice thundered,<br>"So pile up more turtles! I want 'bout two hundred!"<br>"Turtles! More turtles!" he bellowed and brayed.<br>And the turtles 'way down in the pond were afraid.<br>They trembled. They shook. But they came. They obeyed.<br>From all over the pond, they came swimming by dozens.<br>Whole families of turtles, with uncles and cousins.<br>And all of them stepped on the head of poor Mack.<br>One after another, they climbed up the stack.<br>Then Yertle the Turtle was perched up so high,<br>He could see fourty miles from his throne in the sky!<br>"Hooray!" shouted Yertle. "I'm the king of the trees!<br>I'm king of the birds! And I'm king of the bees!<br>I'm king of the butterflies! King of the air!<br>Ah, me! What a throne! What a wonderful chair!<br>I'm Yertle the Turtle! Oh, marvelous me!<br>For I am the ruler of all that I see!"<br><br>Then again, from below, in the great heavy stack,<br>Came a groan from that plain little turtle named Mack.<br>"Your Majesty, please... I don't like to complain,<br>But down here below, we are feeling great pain.<br>I know, up on top you are seeing great sights,<br>But down here at the bottom we, too, should have rights.<br>We turtles can't stand it. Our shells will all crack!<br>Besides, we need food. We are starving!" groaned Mack.<br><br>"You hush up your mouth!" howled the mighty King Yertle.<br>"You've no right to talk to the world's highest turtle.<br>I rule from the clouds! Over land! Over sea!<br>There's nothing, no, NOTHING, that's higher than me!"<br><br>But, while he was shouting, he saw with suprise<br>That the moon of the evening was starting to rise<br>Up over his head in the darkening skies.<br>"What's THAT?" snorted Yertle. "Say, what IS that thing<br>That dares to be higher than Yertle the King?<br>I shall not allow it! I'll go higher still!<br>I'll build my throne higher! I can and I will!<br>I'll call some more turtles. I'll stack 'em to heaven!<br>I need 'bout five thousand, six hundred and seven!"<br><br>But, as Yertle, the Turtle King, lifted his hand<br>And started to order and give the command,<br>That plain little turtle below in the stack,<br>That plain little turtle whose name was just Mack,<br>Decided he'd taken enough. And he had.<br>And that plain little lad got a bit mad.<br>And that plain little Mack did a plain little thing.<br>He burped!<br>And his burp shook the throne of the king!<br><br>And Yertle the Turtle, the king of the trees,<br>The king of the air and the birds and the bees,<br>The king of a house and a cow and a mule...<br>Well, that was the end of the Turtle King's rule!<br>For Yertle, the King of all Sala-ma-Sond,<br>Fell off his high throne and fell Plunk! in the pond!<br><br>And to say the great Yertle, that Marvelous he,<br>Is King of the Mud. That is all he can see.<br>And the turtles, of course... all the turtles are free<br>As turtles and, maybe, all creatures should be. <p></p><i></i>