Those Leprechaun’s in Ireland were old cobblers,

But the ones in America old shrews.

A Leprechaun in Ireland worked all his days;

Why, the American one worked few.

 

Not did the Leprechauns in America

Tap or tick the shoe,—

Neither did they write, make clocks or sweep chimneys, too.

No, rather, they horded up all their gold

And set their gold at the edge of a rainbow.

 

It would never grow big or small,

As a men would chase it—

Such was the Leprechaun’s law

That whoever found the treasure could have it.

 

The Leprechauns spent all day making gold with usury

Laying up their treasures in the banks;—

Where they’d collect dust and stank.

 

So, the Leprechauns in Ireland made a pact;

 

One day, there came a rainbow over the hills

Quite majestic, it laid three bows above the head.

A man named Phineaus found it,

And laid mighty still, to see if

The rainbow would stay its breadth—

Never thought he’d be a rich man instead.

 

The Rainbow grew

Over ol’ Phineaus’ head;

Rainbows, did, somewhere on the earth lay,

Now he would have his daily bread.

 

Phineaus, as he walked

Grew ever more doubtful of what he should find,

Until at the end of the rainbow,

One, two, three bows high

He did walk into the Leprechaun’s mine.

 

Amazed, there were treasures in that trap

Enough for a dragon’s den.

Phineaus marked the way on a map—

For the magic of the rainbow endtd—

Thus, set the map back, and took his pocket full of gold.

He sought to make rich the townsfolk

Who were blackened with poor, both young and old.

 

It came to be that the mine was dug

Every gold piece was stolen to the shilling.

When the Leprechauns of America came by

They realized they had just made a killing—

They heaped up a crevice of gold—

But when found their stash

Had been plundered by the town of Caberdash

Those Leprechaun’s now should know…

 

Thus, the day toiled, the Leprechauns were white

They saw all their gold stolen on one sleepy night.

A shoe was in the pit, it lay like day,

With a hammer and a mite of copper placed—

A note said this,

“Leprechaun’s are hard working folk,

“Who do not store up treasures to bray.

“For when we find one worthy

“We open our horde to make one very lucky soul so gay.”