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“Will you walk into my parlour?” said the Spider to the Fly,
“Tis the prettiest little parlour that ever you did spy;
The way into my parlour is up a winding stair,
And I’ve many curious things to show when you are there.”
“Tis the prettiest little parlour that ever you did spy;
The way into my parlour is up a winding stair,
And I’ve many curious things to show when you are there.”
“Oh no, no,” said the little Fly, “to ask me is in vain,
For who goes up your winding stair
can never come down again.”
“I’m sure you must be weary, dear, with soaring up so high;
Will you rest upon my little bed?” said the Spider to the Fly.
“There are pretty curtains drawn around; the sheets are fine and thin,
And if you like to rest awhile, I’ll snugly tuck you in!”
“Oh no, no,” said the little Fly, “for I’ve often heard it said,
They never, never wake again, who sleep upon your bed!”
Said the cunning Spider to the Fly, “Dear friend what can I do,
To prove the warm affection I’ve always felt for you?
I have within my pantry, good store of all that’s nice;
I’m sure you’re very welcome — will you please to take a slice?”
“Oh no, no,” said the little Fly, “kind Sir, that cannot be,
I’ve heard what’s in your pantry, and I do not wish to see!”
I’ve heard what’s in your pantry, and I do not wish to see!”
Explanation:
Once, there was a spider who wove a web to attract its food. A fly was passing by, and the spider decided to trap the fly. The spider called its web a parlour or any usual house and asked the fly if it would like to come to his parlour. The spider compared its web to home and said that it is one of the most beautiful parlours anyone could see. The spider called the fly to his house, through the winding stairs. The spider tries to attract the fly, saying that the parlour has many curious things to show if the fly could come in.
Spider web
The little fly got scared and said that it is not interested in going inside the spider's parlour as it knows that whoever goes to the winding stair has never came down again.
Fly
The spider continued and said that it could understand why the fly is so frightened. The spider spoke out that she can fair-mindedly rest for some time on the little bed of the parlour. The spider says that it has some delightful curtains, and even the bedsheets are thin and good. So the spider says that if the fly wants some rest, then the spider is ready to take care.
The little fly got scared and said it is not going to come inside the spider's parlour to sleep. The fly said it often heard that whoever sleeps upon the spider's bed has never woke up again.
The spider was very astute and cunning. It asked the fly what it can do to please the fly and show that it is very affectionate towards the fly. The spider says that it has some gratifying goodies as well in the kitchen. So, the spider offered the fly that it would share those goodies with the fly.
The little fly refused again and said that it was pleased by the spider's gestures, but it was not ready to see the goodies which the spider has in its pantry.
Meanings of difficult words:
Numbers | Word | Meanings |
1. | Parlour | A sitting room in a private house.. |
2. | Spy | Careful observation. |
3. | Weary | Fly high in the air. |
4. | Snugly | Close-fitting; securely. |
5. | Winding | Following a twisting or spiral course. |
6. | Pantry | A cupboard in which food, crockery are kept. |
Reference:
State Council of Educational Research and Training (2019). Term-2 English Standard-9. The Spider and the Fly- Mary Botham Howitt(pp. 106-107). Published by the Tamil Nadu Textbook and Educational Services Corporation.
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