A Moment Too Late by Unknown Author

A moment too late, my beautiful bird,
A moment too late are you now;
The wind has your soft, downy nest disturbed—
The nest that you hung on the bough.

A moment too late; that string in your bill,
Would have fastened it firmly and strong;
But see, there it goes, rolling over the hill!
Oh, you staid a moment too long.

A moment, one moment too late, busy bee;
The honey has dropped from the flower:
No use to creep under the petals and see;
It stood ready to drop for an hour.

A moment too late; had you sped on your wing,
The honey would not have been gone;
Now you see what a very, a very sad thing
'T is to stay a moment too long.

Little girl, never be a moment too late,
It will soon end in trouble or crime;
Better be an hour early, and stand and wait,
Than a moment behind the time.

If the bird and the bee, little boy, were too late,
Remember, as you play along
On your way to school, with pencil and slate,
Never stay a moment too long.