A watchful narrative addressed straight to a mouse creeping about the larder, checking for the cat before darting off for crumbs. Its longer, story-like shape makes it a good step from single-verse rhymes toward proper storytelling.
From Mother Goose / Nursery Rhymes (traditional). See the whole collection.
I have seen you, little mouse,
Running all about the house,
Through the hole your little eye
In the wainscot peeping sly,
Hoping soon some crumbs to steal,
To make quite a hearty meal.
Look before you venture out,
See if pussy is about.
If she's gone, you'll quickly run
To the larder for some fun;
Round about the dishes creep,
Taking into each a peep,
To choose the daintiest that's there,
Spoiling things you do not care.
About this rhyme
Traditional
Nobody knows who wrote this. It is anonymous, the way a lot of these rhymes are, and it turns up in the old Mother Goose collections, The Real Mother Goose among them, with no name attached. The picture it draws is homely: a mouse peeping through a hole in the wainscot, waiting for crumbs, checking that the cat is out before it makes a dash for the larder. Plain house-and-kitchen life, seen from the mouse's side.
This is a good one for a child who likes animals, or is a little wary of the dark house at night. Creep your fingers along the arm of the chair like the mouse, and pause at 'see if pussy is about' to look round the room together. Whisper the sneaky parts. Let them decide whether the cat is coming.
Public domain. Text from The Real Mother Goose (Blanche Fisher Wright, 1916), via Project Gutenberg. View the source edition