Meeting the Easter Bunny

On Easter morn at early dawn
    before the cocks were crowing
I met a bob-tail bunnykin
    and asked where he was going.
"Tis in the house and out the house
    a-tispy, tipsy-toeing,
Tis round the house and 'bout the house
    a-lighlty I am going."
"But what is that of every hue
    you carry in your basket?"
"Tis eggs of gold and eggs of blue;
    I wonder that you ask it.

"Tis chocolate eggs and bonbon eggs
   and eggs of red and gray,
For every child in every house
   on bonny Easter day."
He perked his ears and winked his eye
   and twitched his little nose;
He shook his tail -- what tail he had --
   and stood up on his toes.
"I must be gone before the sun;
   the east is growing gray;
Tis almost time for bells to chime." --
   So he hippety-hopped away.