The Spider and the Fly (poem)
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| by Mary Howitt | |
| Subject(s) | Fable |
|---|---|
| Genre(s) | Children's verse |
| Publication date | 1829 |
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“Will you walk into my parlour?” said the Spider to the Fly,
'Tis the prettiest little parlour that ever you did spy;
The way into my parlour is up a winding stair,
And I've a many curious things to show when you are there.”
“Oh no, no,” said the little Fly, “to ask me is in vain,
For who goes up your winding stair
-can ne'er come down again.”
“I'm sure you must be weary, dear, with soaring up so high;
Will you rest upon my little bed?” said the Spider to the Fly.
“There are pretty curtains drawn around; the sheets are fine and thin,
And if you like to rest awhile, I'll snugly tuck you in!”
“Oh no, no,” said the little Fly, “for I've often heard it said,
They never, never wake again, who sleep upon your bed!”
Said the cunning Spider to the Fly, “Dear friend what can I do,
To prove the warm affection I 've always felt for you?
I have within my pantry, good store of all that's nice;
I'm sure you're very welcome — will you please to take a slice?”
“Oh no, no,” said the little Fly, “kind Sir, that cannot be,
I've heard what's in your pantry, and I do not wish to see!”
“Sweet creature!” said the Spider, “you're witty and you're wise,
How handsome are your gauzy wings, how brilliant are your eyes!
I've a little looking-glass upon my parlour shelf,
If you'll step in one moment, dear, you shall behold yourself.”
“I thank you, gentle sir,” she said, “for what you 're pleased to say,
And bidding you good morning now, I'll call another day.”
The Spider turned him round about, and went into his den,
For well he knew the silly Fly would soon come back again:
So he wove a subtle web, in a little corner sly,
And set his table ready, to dine upon the Fly.
Then he came out to his door again, and merrily did sing,
“Come hither, hither, pretty Fly, with the pearl and silver wing;
Your robes are green and purple — there's a crest upon your head;
Your eyes are like the diamond bright, but mine are dull as lead!”
Alas, alas! how very soon this silly little Fly,
Hearing his wily, flattering words, came slowly flitting by;
With buzzing wings she hung aloft, then near and nearer drew,
Thinking only of her brilliant eyes, and green and purple hue —
Thinking only of her crested head — poor foolish thing!
At last,
Up jumped the cunning Spider, and fiercely held her fast.
He dragged her up his winding stair, into his dismal den,
Within his little parlour — but she ne'er came out again!
And now dear little children, who may this story read,
To idle, silly flattering words, I pray you ne'er give heed:
Unto an evil counsellor, close heart and ear and eye,
And take a lesson from this tale, of the Spider and the Fly.
~By Mary Howitt, 1829
The Spider and the Fly is a poem by Mary Howitt (1799-1888), published in 1829. The first line of the poem is "'Will you walk into my parlour?' said the Spider to the Fly." The story tells of a cunning Spider who ensnares a naive Fly through the use of seduction and flattery. The poem is a cautionary tale against those who use flattery and charm to disguise their true evil intentions. When Lewis Carroll was readying Alice's Adventures Under Ground for publication he replaced a parody he had made of a negro minstrel song[1] with a parody of Howitt's poem. The "Lobster Quadrille", in Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, is a parody of Howitt's poem; it mimics the meter and rhyme scheme, and parodies the first line, but not the subject matter, of the original.[2]
An illustrated version by Tony DiTerlizzi[3] was a 2003 Caldecott Honor Book.
Contents
Cultural influence
The opening line is one of the most recognized and quoted first lines in all of English verse.[4] Often misquoted as "Step into my parlour" or "Come into my parlour", it has become an aphorism, often used to indicate a false offer of help or friendship that is in fact a trap. The line has been used and parodied numerous times in various works of fiction.[citation needed]
Music
- 1930 song by Barbecue Bob.
- 1938 song by Fats Waller, Andy Razaf, and J. C. Johnson.
- English Rock band The Cure make reference to the poem in their 1989 song "Lullaby" in which Smith whispers an adapted extract from the poem toward the end of the song.
- Heavy Metal band Heaven & Hell made reference to the poem in their song "Atom & Evil" from the album The Devil You Know. - Lines: I'm here for you, said the spider to the fly. And, Into the parlor came the spider.
- The Hutchinson Family Singers performed a version of the poem that was adapted to song by Jesse Hutchinson, Jr.
- 1965 song by The Rolling Stones — One is left wondering: who is the spider, and who is the fly?
- "Arachnitect": title song for the 2008 album by Kristen Lawrence — Rock song with a harpsichord, electric guitar and bass creating quirky spider sounds as the spider chases the fly[5]
- Noise-rock band The Paper Chase references the poem in their song, "Said the Spider to the Fly".
Film
- 1923 cartoon: theatrical short by Aesop Fables Studio.[6]
- Dragonball Z (English Dub): When Freeza is fighting Goku in Kiaoken times 20 form on old Namek he says to Goku: "I must say I'm impressed said the spider to the fly". Also, when Piccolo is trying to stall Freeza while Goku is charging the spirit bomb, Freeza says to Piccolo: "I spy with my little eye one pitiful Namek who got away".
- 1931 cartoon: Silly Symphonies theatrical animated short by Walt Disney Productions.
- 1949 film: World War I spy mystery with a love triangle, starring Eric Portman, Guy Rolfe and Nadia Gray.
- 2006 film: Animation/family film directed by Brad Peyton.[7]
- 2012 film: This poem is the song being sung in the Chiller movie Dead Souls.
Television
- The 1987 animated Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles TV series parodied the poem. In the episode "Enter the Fly", where Shredder says "Step into my parlor, said the Knucklehead to the fly", referring to recently-mutated Baxter Stockman as "the Fly". In the end of the episode "Bye, Bye, Fly" of the same TV series, fly-Baxter Stockman crashes a spacecraft on a planet and falls into a spider's web, as a giant spider approaches.
- In the NCIS episode "Spider and the Fly" (2010), the poem is mentioned in the last words of Paloma Reynosa: "Paloma: Come into my parlor, said the spider to the fly. Have you ever heard that poem Gibbs?"
- Doctor Who. Several times, in the widely acclaimed British Television series, "Doctor Who", the Doctor references the first line of this poem when he is suspicious of help by mentioning to his companion, the line as a warning that they are about to walk into a trap.
Gaming
- In video game Gears of War 2 there is an achievement for killing an opponent with a grenade tagged to a wall named "Said the Spider to the Fly".
- In World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King, one of the spider-like bosses in the Naxxramas raid, Anub'Rekhan, says "Welcome to my parlour..." when a player steps into his room.
- In Undertale, one of the characters is a spider-lady named Muffet. During the boss battle with her, she can be examined for the help text "If she invites you into her parlor, excuse yourself."
See also
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References
- ↑ Gardner, Martin; The Annotated Alice, 1998 (Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.)
- ↑ Carroll's parody of Howitt's poem accessed 3 October 2007
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External links
- Text of the poem, along with a Lewis Carroll parody of it
