Agniya Barto
Arithmetic

Yura goes to school with Svetik
Who’s six — and loves his arithmetic.

Once Yura had a sum to do.
He added carefully
And then informed us: “Six and two —
I think — make three.”

Svetik, to help him from his fix,
Proud he could count eleven,
Said: “That’s not right, for two plus six —
I think — makes seven!”

And so they argued hot and long,
Debating who was right, who wrong.

Her fingers bent back double,
Taya, the little fatty,
Shrieked: “Shush! I’m in a muddle.
Your counting drives me batty.”

It’s hard work adding two to six,
The worse the din. the worse the mix.
At last it was Nastya
Who came to the rescue.

Nastya was very clever,
She added six to two,
And answered (well, I never!),
“Eight” — just as you all knew!

Translated by Avril Pyman