MEADOW FIDDLERS
by Ada M. Skinner
The Meadow's Music
Can you hear the music in the meadow? Let's listen! The Red-Legged Locust is here. He has bright red legs. He rubs his legs. He rubs them on his dusty wings. He makes a loud, strong sound. Zee-zee! He plays his fiddle all day long. He plays and plays. He loves to play his song. He eats green leaves too. He makes music. Zee-zee! The meadow hears his busy song. It is a happy sound.
Now, look at The Green Katydid. He is very green. He hides in the green leaves. He rubs his wings. He rubs them. He makes a happy sound. Kat-kat! Kat-kat! He plays his music. He plays it all day long. Clover blossoms sway. They sway in the soft wind. The Green Katydid plays on and on. His song is cheerful. Kat-kat! Kat-kat! We hear his steady sound.
Here comes The Cone-head Hopper. He has a funny head. His head is like a tall cone. He hides in the green bushes. He hides in the brambles. He makes a sharp, clear sound. Zzip-zzip! Zzip-zzip! He is a funny insect. He jumps and plays all day. His sound is very clear. He plays his song. Zzip-zzip! Zzip-zzip! We hear him in the warm sun. He is a happy player.
Look! A tiny friend is here. It is The Wee Tree Cricket. He is very, very small. He holds his wings up high. He sings a sweet song. Chirp-chirp! He sings day and night. His song is fast and shrill. His song is very happy. He sings and sings and sings. Chirp-chirp! We love his tiny sound. He makes joy for us. He sings his happy tune.
All the meadow fiddlers play. They play their happy songs. The Red-Legged Locust goes Zee-zee! The Green Katydid goes Kat-kat! The Cone-head Hopper goes Zzip-zzip! The Wee Tree Cricket goes Chirp-chirp! Their music fills the air. The meadow is so happy. The flowers dance. The bees buzz. It is a joyful summer day. We hear their sweet music. We love their happy sound. The meadow sings its happy song.
Original Story
MEADOW FIDDLERS
The red-legged locust. Oh, my, oh, my!
He plays all day. But why? But why?
You rub your legs with your dusty wings;
Your fiddle shrieks till the welkin rings;
On meadow green, through the livelong day,
You saw and eat till they’re bare and gray
Zee-e-e, zee-e-, zee-e-e!
The green katydid. Dear me, dear me!
The finest chap. Just see, just see;
You play so hard and you trill so long,
Your midget wife ne’er can sing a song,
Still you rub your wings in the drollest way
While dancing clover blossoms swing and sway
Zig, zig, z-i-g, zig, zig, z-i-g!
212Cone-headed grasshopper, zip-zee, zip-zee,
The insects’ clown is he, is he!
From Maine o’er plains to the Rockies found,
With foolscap forehead and shrilling sound,
From bush and bramble your roundelay
Comes sharp and clear through the summer day,
Z-szip-zee. Z-szip, z-szip-zee!
The wee tree cricket. So free, so free!
Sings night and day! What glee, what glee!
Your high held wings make such presto fine
No human skill can compare with thine;
So fast, so shrill, and so wondrous gay,
Such tunes are joy to a dancing fay,
T-ree-ee, t-re-ee, t-re-ee! T-re-ee, t-re-ee, t-re-ee!
Sweet meadow fiddlers, zip, zee, zip, zee!
They fill the earth with glee, with glee!
We greet your coming with fond delight
And gayly hie in the sunshine bright,
Where bees and blossoms and birds all day
Wing, swing, and sing to your joyful lay.
Zip-zip-z-ee! zip-zip-z-ee!
Characters
The Red-Legged Locust ★ protagonist
A medium-sized insect with a robust, segmented body, primarily reddish-brown in color. Its most distinguishing feature is its bright red legs, which are strong and adapted for jumping. Its body is covered in a dusty, somewhat coarse texture.
Attire: Natural exoskeleton, dusty reddish-brown with bright red legs.
Wants: To play its fiddle and consume vegetation, driven by instinct.
Flaw: Its constant eating can leave meadows 'bare and gray,' suggesting a lack of moderation or awareness of its environmental impact.
Remains consistent throughout the poem, a symbol of persistent, if somewhat destructive, natural activity.
Industrious, persistent, somewhat monotonous in its musical output, focused on its primary activities of fiddling and eating.
The Green Katydid ◆ supporting
A vibrant green insect, well-camouflaged among leaves. It has a somewhat flattened, leaf-like body shape and long, slender antennae. Its wings are prominent and used for its characteristic sound production.
Attire: Natural exoskeleton, entirely green, mimicking a leaf.
Wants: To play its unique trilling song, attracting a mate and expressing itself.
Flaw: Its constant, loud trilling might overshadow others, specifically its 'midget wife.'
Remains consistent, a cheerful and persistent musician of the meadow.
Hard-working, enthusiastic about its 'music,' perhaps a bit self-absorbed as its 'midget wife ne'er can sing a song' due to its constant trilling.
The Cone-Headed Grasshopper ◆ supporting
A distinctive grasshopper with a tall, pointed, 'foolscap' shaped head that tapers to a cone. Its body is typically green or brown, slender, and elongated. It has strong jumping legs.
Attire: Natural exoskeleton, green or brown, with its unique cone-shaped head.
Wants: To produce its sharp, clear 'roundelay' and entertain, or simply to express its presence.
Flaw: Its 'clown' status might imply a lack of seriousness or being easily distracted.
Remains consistent, a distinctive and vocal member of the meadow's insect community.
Described as the 'insects' clown,' suggesting a playful, perhaps boisterous, and attention-grabbing nature.
The Wee Tree Cricket ◆ supporting
A very small, delicate cricket, typically pale green or whitish in color, making it hard to spot. Its wings are held high and are instrumental in its sound production.
Attire: Natural exoskeleton, pale green or whitish, almost translucent.
Wants: To sing its beautiful, intricate song, driven by pure 'glee' and artistic expression.
Flaw: Its 'wee' size might make it vulnerable or easily overlooked despite its talent.
Remains consistent, a symbol of pure, unadulterated musical joy in the natural world.
Joyful, free-spirited, incredibly skilled in its musical ability, producing 'presto fine' tunes that are 'wondrous gay.'
Locations
Meadow Green
A vibrant green meadow that, over time, becomes bare and gray from the insects' activities. It is filled with clover blossoms.
Mood: Lively, joyful, industrious, natural
The primary setting where all the 'meadow fiddlers' play their music and interact with their environment, transforming it from green to bare.
Bush and Bramble
Dense areas of bushes and brambles, providing cover and a stage for the cone-headed grasshopper's shrilling sound.
Mood: Hidden, vibrant, natural
The specific habitat from which the cone-headed grasshopper's distinct sound emanates, adding another layer to the meadow's soundscape.
Story DNA
Plot Summary
This poem celebrates the various 'fiddlers' of the meadow, personifying different insects like the red-legged locust, green katydid, cone-headed grasshopper, and wee tree cricket as musicians. Each insect is described by its unique sound and manner of 'playing' its 'instrument'. The poem culminates in a joyful appreciation of these collective sounds, which fill the summer earth with glee and delight, creating a harmonious natural symphony.
Themes
Emotional Arc
joy to sustained joy
Writing Style
Narrative Elements
Cultural Context
Reflects a common poetic tradition of personifying nature and finding beauty in natural sounds, popular in late 19th and early 20th-century children's literature.
Plot Beats (5)
- The red-legged locust plays its fiddle all day, rubbing its legs and making a shrieking sound while eating.
- The green katydid plays so hard and long that its wife cannot sing, rubbing its wings while clover blossoms sway.
- The cone-headed grasshopper, known as the insects' clown, makes a sharp, clear shrilling sound from bushes and brambles.
- The wee tree cricket sings day and night with high-held wings, producing a fast, shrill, and gay tune.
- All the sweet meadow fiddlers fill the earth with glee, and their coming is greeted with delight by humans and nature, creating a joyful summer day.
