Dirty Jim by Jane Taylor

THERE was one little Jim, 

'Tis reported of him, 

And must be to his lasting disgrace, 

That he never was seen 

With hands at all clean, 

Nor yet ever clean was his face. . . .

His friends were much hurt 

To see so much dirt, 

And often they made him quite clean; 

But all was in vain, 

He got dirty again, 

And not at all fit to be seen.

It gave him no pain 

To hear them complain, 

Nor his own dirty clothes to survey: 

His indolent mind 

No pleasure could find 

In tidy and wholesome array.

The idle and bad, 

Like this little lad, 

May love dirty ways, to be sure; 

But good boys are seen 

To be decent and clean, 

Although they are ever so poor.

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