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The Widow and her Little Maidens — Nursery Rhyme Lyrics

A widow woman, fond of cleaning, had two little maidens to wait on her. She was in the habit of waking them early in the morning, at cockcrow. The maidens, being aggrieved by such excessive labor, resolved to kill the cock who roused their mistress so early. When they had done this, they found that they had only prepared for themselves greater troubles, for their mistress, no longer hearing the cock, was unable to tell the time, and so, woke them up to their work in the middle of the night.
Unlawful acts to escape trials only increase our troubles.

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Learning from "The Widow and her Little Maidens"

Nursery rhymes are some of the best teachers of rhythm and rhyme. "The Widow and her Little Maidens" 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.

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Frequently asked questions

What are the words to The Widow and her Little Maidens?
The lyrics to The Widow and her Little Maidens are: A widow woman, fond of cleaning, had two little maidens to wait on her. She was in the habit of waking them early in the morning, at cockcrow. The maidens, being aggrieved by such excessive labor, resolved to kill the cock who roused their mistress so early. When they had done this, they found that they had only prepared for themselves greater troubles, for their mistress, no longer hearing the cock, was unable to tell the time, and so, woke them up to their work in the middle of the night. / Unlawful acts to escape trials only increase our troubles.
How many lines does The Widow and her Little Maidens have?
"The Widow and her Little Maidens" has 2 lines of verse.