The Sick Kite — Nursery Rhyme Lyrics

A Kite, sick unto death, said to his mother: "O Mother! do not mourn, but at once invoke the gods that my life may be prolonged." She replied: "Alas! my son, which of the gods do you think will pity you? Is there one whom you have not outraged by filching from their very altars a part of the sacrifice which had been offered up to them?"
We must make friends in prosperity, if we would have their help in adversity.

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Learning from "The Sick Kite"

Nursery rhymes are some of the best teachers of rhythm and rhyme. "The Sick Kite" 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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Frequently asked questions

What are the words to The Sick Kite?
The lyrics to The Sick Kite are: A Kite, sick unto death, said to his mother: "O Mother! do not mourn, but at once invoke the gods that my life may be prolonged." She replied: "Alas! my son, which of the gods do you think will pity you? Is there one whom you have not outraged by filching from their very altars a part of the sacrifice which had been offered up to them?" / We must make friends in prosperity, if we would have their help in adversity.
How many lines does The Sick Kite have?
"The Sick Kite" has 2 lines of verse.

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