Korney Chukovsky
The Cockroach

Part I

Here coma a pike
Riding a bike.

Followed by a cat — all black —
On a scooter front-to-back.

Next, live mosquitoes come into sight,
Flying along on a yellow kite.

Then arrives Mousie Mollie
On a limping, smiling collie.

And a stork astride a mare,
And a bear in a wheel-chair.

Link rabbits, soft and huggy,
Come riding in a baby buggy.

A frog does a funny trick,
Diving down from a broomstick.

Camels, horses, and donkeys
Come carrying monkeys.

A white unicorn
Trots, blowing a horn.

Slowly along the road
Hasten a turtle and a toad.

«Be careful! Don’t crush the ants,»
A hippo warns the elephants.

To the picnic they all come,
Munching candy and cake,

In a very merry mood,
For a day at the lake.

Then suddenly they grow numb and still!
Who's that coming round that hill?!

A fierce and dreadful Roach!
A mean cock-cock-Cockroach!

«Don't you dare to approach!»
He roars, he rages:

«I’ll lock you in cages!
And swallow you ALL
Like one tiny meatball!

«Or with a twitch of my mustache,
I'll turn you all to succotash!»

The birds — they shudder!
The beasts — they flutter!

The poor crocodile
Forgets how to smile!

The hungry wolves, in their alarm,
Though meaning no evil or harm,
Right then and there they sup,
Gobbling one another up!

And a terrified lady dog,
Falls into a faint
On a prickly hedgehog!

Alas! Not one dares to fight,
Every bird and beast takes flight!

The Lobster, backing up a mile,
Murmurs with a bitter smile:

«I, too, have a long mustache,
I, too, can make succotash...»

The Cockroach continues to roar,
The Lobster backs up some more.

Now the Lion climbs a hill;
From there he speaks his royal will:

«We must regain our happн land!
Against the brute we’ll take a stand!

«And to the warrior who fears not this foe.
Who this monster will overthrow,
To him I'll give a juicy bone
And the finest pine cone!»

The creatures in one eager crowd.
Surge forth and cry out loud:

«We do not fear this nasty foe.
With tooth and claw
We’ll lay him low!»

And they all rush to do battle —
Birds, fish, fowl, and cattle.

But the Roach moves his mustache
And bellows: «SUCCOTASH!»

One and all they beat a retreat.
The enemy they don't defeat!

Into the fields and woods they dash —
Terrorized by the Roach's mustache!

The Lion shouts; «What a disgrace!
Come back! Come out and show your face!
Pin the enemy with your horns —
Bulls, rhinoceros, unicorns!»

But each in his hiding place stays,
And wails: «Horns aren't cheap these days...
And our skin is precious too —
What you ask of us. we cannot do!»

Caught in nettles the crocodiles twitch,
And the elephants get stuck in a ditch.

Lo! All that's heard now
Is the flow of their tears;
All that's seen now
Is the trembling of their ears!

And the shark, scared and pale,
With a flail of his tail,
Slithers into the lake —
Not like a shark, like a snake!

While the cunning little skunk
Already packs his trunk.

Part 2

To the Cockroach they all yield —
He's now lord o'er wood and field.
He struts about among them,

Rubbing his big tummy,
Looks at their young ones
And thinks: «How very yummy!»

Gazes at the little ones with greed,
Orders supper to be brought him with speed!

«I want no beans or corn,
But flesh of baby unicorn;
Other youngsters as well —
Those with a savory smell.»

The poor, poor parents
Are in distress.
Their dear babes
They hug and caress:

For what mother could give up her child,
Her baby tame or her baby wild?!
So that the monster could devour
Her precious crumb, her little flower!

So mommies and daddies moan and cry
As they bid their infants good-bye!

And the monster is secretly cursed:
«May the glutton blow up!
May he burst!»

But now we see another picture:
The Kangaroo, that nimble creature —
Leaps, leaps — she's at the Roach’s hill,
And for a moment all are mute
As she points to the mustached brute:

«A monster?! Where?!
A Giant?! There?!

«It's a roach, a roach, a wee-bit roach,
A wee-little beetle you fear to approach.
Look! It's a midge, a mite,
A bug that can't even bite!

«For our trouble we're to blame!
    What a shame!
    What a shame!»

The Hippo then comes forth
With slow pace and worried face,
Muttering in an anxious way:

«Please go away, go away!
Your words will make him very mad,
He may think of something very bad!
Go, Kangaroo, Kangaroo,
Go, go back to your zoo!»

Then the Hippo falls still,
Surprised by a sudden trill...
    «Cheek-chee-reek. cheeky-reeky.
    Cheek-chce-reek.»
And from behind a bush
They see it peek.

Hop-hop-hop — comes the reckless fellow.
A gay and carefree little Sparrow.
And right there, on the Roach’s hill,
With his cheeky-reeky trill,
Peck, peck, peck —
NO MORE ROACH!
Not a smidgen, not a speck!
He's swallowed in a flash.
All of him and his mustache!

Part 3

What joy! What glee!
All the creatures again are free!

The Sparrow is praised and
On loving paws it's raised —
There's a parade,
A celebration,
A masquerade!

The mules bray a song,
Hippo strikes his gong.

To honor the Sparrow, a path is cleared:
The goat sweeps it with his beard.

The sheepish sheep
Don't sing but hum,
The bold baboon
Beats a drum.

And from the roof the joyous bats,
Wave their hankies and their hats.

But when I lie elephants start to prance,
To clap and stomp a happy dance,
The orange moon shakes loose —
And falls right on big Moose!

Like a pinwheel it falls from the sky,
Now all is dark — save the firefly!

Translated by Miriam Morton