There was once a prince whose heart was skinless It quivered like a leaf in the breeze and shone like sunshine on a drop of water And sometimes such a faraway light would well in his eyes that the servants laughed behind their dusters One morning the prince announced I am going to search the world for a true princess And with that he clicked for the cat and called for his carriage He began to pile rare gifts on top There were petticoats and parasols packs of cards and gold rings arrows bows and china lamps wooden globes and books of stamps All for the true bride he was quite sure he would meet and for the people who would help him on his journey Oh dear sighed the queen looking at the rare and beautiful treasures He’s so strong and yet so sensitive Just like you replied the king A cruel word can redden your cheek like a slap Meow said the cat and gave them a glare Then she trotted after the prince her tail as straight as a sword
With a rumble of wheels and a cloud of dust the carriage set off Every tree every shower every rock every flower was such a wonder that they scratched his sensitive heart like a rough wool scarf How he longed for a princess whose love would be like silk around it But then his carriage went so fast that the sky was a blur His journey was long and perilous and the adventures so many that the prince forgot his heart fighting tigers in the jungles and snakes in the deserts
