Samuil Marshak
The merry starlings

Forty four starlings.
Forty four darlings
Merry and happy,
Together kept house.

One swept the chimney,
One cleaned the windows,
One washed the dishes.
One scrubbed the floor.
One cooked the dinner,
One did the shopping,
One ran on errands
And one shut the door.

They went to fetch fuel
And then cooked some gruel,
Forty four starlings.
Merry and gay.

One took a ladle.
One laid the table,
One took the saucepan
And one hopped about;
One called the others.
One got the dishes.
One poured the gruel.
One handed it out.

When breakfast was over,
They all started playing.
Forty four starlings,
Tootle-tee-toot!
One on a trumpet.
One on a ’cello,
One on a fiddle.
One on a flute.

They went on a visit
To old Auntie Linnet,
Forty four starlings.
Merry and gay.

One on a tramcar,
One on a taxi.
One on a horsecart,
One on a sleigh,
One on a buggy,
One on a trolley,
One on a scooter,
They set on their way.

Day drew to its close,
And they lay down to doze,
Forty four starlings,
Sleepy and tired:

One on an armchair,
One on the table,
One on the sofa,
One at the door.
One on a matchbox.
One on a thread-pool,
One on the hearthrug
And one on the floor.

Snuggly tucked in,
They started to sing,
Forty four starlings.
Merry and gay:

One twitter-twitter.
One tritty-litty,
One tilly-willy,
One tee-tee-tay.
One ticky-ricky,
One ricky-ticky,
One tooty-looty.
And one too-loo-lay.
____
Written together with Daniil Kharms

Translated by Dorian Rottenberg