Ella Wheeler Wilcox

Two Sat Down

Two sat down in the morning time,
   One to sing and one to spin.
All men listened the song sublime-
   But no one listened the dull wheel’s din.

The singer sat in a pleasant nook,
   And sang of a life that was fair and sweet,
While the spinner sat with a steadfast look,
   Busily plying her hands and feet.

The singer sang on with a rose in her hair,
   And all men listened her dulcet tone;
And the spinner spun on with a dull despair
   Down in her heart as she sat alone.

But lo! on the morrow no one said
   Aught of the singer or what she sang.
Men were saying: “Behold this thread,”
   And loud the praise of the spinner rang.

The world has forgotten the singer’s name-
   Her rose is faded, her songs are old;
But far o’er the ocean the spinner’s fame
   Yet is blazoned in lines of gold.