The Raven and the Swan — Nursery Rhyme Lyrics
A Raven saw a Swan, and desired to secure for himself a like beauty of plumage. Supposing that his splendid white color arose from his washing in the water in which he swam, the Raven left the altars in the neighborhood of which he picked up his living, and took up his abode in the lakes and pools. But cleansing his feathers as often as he would, he could not change their color, while through want of food he perished.
Change of habit cannot alter nature.
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- rhymes with abode
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- rhymes with himself
- rhymes with his
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More Nursery Rhymes
Learning from "The Raven and the Swan"
Nursery rhymes are some of the best teachers of rhythm and rhyme. "The Raven and the Swan" uses 2 lines to create a memorable verse — proof that effective poetry doesn't need to be long. Pay attention to the meter: the pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables is what makes the rhyme stick in your head.
Songwriters and poets can borrow these patterns. Try writing your own lyrics using the same rhyme scheme and line length as this nursery rhyme. You can also use words from the poem above as starting points — click any word to find rhymes or look up its definition, then build from there.
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Generate a verseFrequently asked questions
- What are the words to The Raven and the Swan?
- The lyrics to The Raven and the Swan are: A Raven saw a Swan, and desired to secure for himself a like beauty of plumage. Supposing that his splendid white color arose from his washing in the water in which he swam, the Raven left the altars in the neighborhood of which he picked up his living, and took up his abode in the lakes and pools. But cleansing his feathers as often as he would, he could not change their color, while through want of food he perished. / Change of habit cannot alter nature.
- How many lines does The Raven and the Swan have?
- "The Raven and the Swan" has 2 lines of verse.
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