Luck and Laziness

Luck and Laziness

Luck tapped upon a cottage door
    A gentle, quiet tap;
And Laziness, who lounged within,
    The cat upon his lap.
Stretched out his slippers to the fire
    And gave a sleepy yawn;
“Oh, bother! Let him knock again!”
    He said, but Luck was gone.

Luck tapped again, more kindly still,
    Upon another door,
Where Industry was hard at work
    Mending his cottage floor.
The door was opened wide at once;
    “Come in!” the worker cried,
And Luck was taken by the hand
    And fairly pulled inside.

He still is there a wondrous guest
    From out whose magic hand
Fortune flows fast—but Laziness
    Can never understand
How Industry found such a friend.
    “Luck never comes my way!”
He sighs and quite forgets the knock
    Upon his door that day.

    -Author unknown,
     written prior to 1903