by Anonymous / Unidentified Author

A grasshopper and a fly
Language: English 
Our translations:  HEB
A grasshopper and a fly,
In summer hot and dry,
In eager argument were met
About, about priority.

Says the fly to the grasshopper:
"From mighty race I spring,
Bright Phoebus was my dad 'tis known,
And I eat and drink with a king."

Says the grasshopper to the fly:
"Such rogues are still preferr'd;
Your father might be of high degree,
But your mother was but a turd."

So, rebel Jemmy Scott,
That did to the empire soar,
His father might be the Lord knows what,
But his mother we knew a whore,
A whore, a whore, a whore.

Note (from Ehud Shapiro): James "Jemmy" Scott, the first Duke of Monmouth was the eldest -- and probably favourite -- of Charles II's twelve bastard children. When Charles II brother was elected to succeed him as James II, he led a rebellion against his uncle. He lost and got beheaded (after 6 failed trials with the ax so they say). Brave Purcell published this song in support of Jemmy's uncle one year after Jemmy's deafeat and death.


Text Authorship:

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):

Available translations, adaptations, and transliterations (if applicable):

  • HEB Hebrew (עברית) (Ehud Shapiro) , title 1: "צרצר ויתוש", copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission


Researcher for this page: Ehud Shapiro

This text was added to the website: 2014-01-25
Line count: 17
Word count: 100