The Princess Daffodil's Tea Party

Away to tea, away to tea! Who shall I invite to my tea party?

Down in the meadows

under a sycamore tree,

there lies the Princess Daffodil

awaiting her tea…

‘Oh Dewdrops, hear my plea,

who shall I invite to my tea party?’

The Dewdrops heard her pleas and so

sent the squirrel up the meadow,

where he cried: ‘Away to tea, away to tea!

You all are invited to the princess’s tea party!’

And up on the meadow the squirrel came upon

a honeycomb so large, home of little John’s…

‘Oh hon-eys and bees, I’ve been invited to tea!’

little John buzzed, whizzing all around his tree.

‘I shall bring the neatest nectar, and find the sweetest honey.’

And away he flew out his honeycomb; the way he buzzed was quite funny.

Away to tea, away to tea!

The bumblebee will attend the princess’s tea party!

The squirrel ran up to a nearby bog,

where a group of frogs sat atop a log.

‘Away to tea, away to tea!’ he cried,

‘You all are invited to the princess’s tea party!’

The frogs all hopped and croaked,

'Who is this princess, inviting us to such a queer party?’

Still, the frogs all skipped, and jumped and bounced and swam

down into their mudhouse, and came up with a jar of fly-jam.

‘Only the sweetest!’---‘The saltiest!’ they chimed,

‘For our princess, who has kindly invited us to tea time!’

Away to tea, away to tea!

The frogs will attend the princess’s tea party!

Now, the squirrel came upon a flower garden so true,

and met a butterfly; its wings a bewitching blue!

‘Away to tea, away to tea!’ he cried,

‘You all have been invited to the princess's tea party!’

The butterfly found the squirrel quite queer,

but at the mention of the princess, she knew he was sincere.

‘I shall bring my tulips, and irises, and the rose;

and upon my dearest princess’s head the most ravishing marigold!---

---bedecked with daffodils; quite fitting for a princess.”

And the butterfly flew away with such great noblesse.

Away to tea, away to tea!

The butterfly will attend the princess’s tea party!

Down in the meadows,

under the sycamore tree,

still lies the Princess Daffodil,

though she was no longer awaiting her tea.

For beside her the butterfly, the frogs and the bumblebee,

have all come to join her and her little tea party.

Author's Note

written: Apr 2024