A Bradypus, or Sloth, am I, I live a life of ease; Contented not to do or die, But idle as I please. I have three toes on either foot, Or half a doz on both; With leaves and fruits and shoots to eat, How sweet to be a Sloth! The world is such a cheerful place When viewed from upside-down; It makes a rise of every fall, A smile of every frown; I watch the fleeting flutter by Of butterfly or moth, And think of all the things I'd try If I were not a Sloth. I could climb the very highest Himalayas, Be among the greatest ever tennis players, Win at chess, or marry a Princess, Or study hard and be an eminent professor; I could be a millionaire, play the clarinet, travel everywhere, Learn to cook, catch a crook, win a war then write a book about it; I could paint a Mona Lisa, I could be another Caesar, Compose an oratorio that was sublime. The door's not shut on my genius but I just don't have the time! For days and days among the trees I sleep and dream and doze, Just gently swaying in the breeze Suspended by my toes; While eager beavers overhead Rush through the undergrowth; I watch the clouds beneath my feet, How sweet to be a Sloth!