Basse, lurre,
The song is ended."

"No, it is not ended," said the flax. "The sun will shine, and the rain
will fall, and I shall grow and grow. No, no, the song is not ended."

One day some men came with sharp reap hooks. They took the flax by the
head and cut it off at the roots. This was very painful, you may be
sure.

Then the flax was laid in water and was nearly drowned. After that it
was put on a fire and nearly roasted. All this was frightful. But the
flax only said, "One cannot be happy always. By having bad times as well
as good, we become wise."

After the flax had been cut and steeped and roasted, it was put on a
spinning wheel. "Whir-r-r, whir-rr-r," went the spinning wheel; it went
so fast that the flax could hardly think.

"I have been very happy in the sunshine and the rain," it said. "If I am
in pain now, I must be contented."

At last the flax was put in the loom. Soon it became a beautiful piece
of white linen.

"This is very wonderful," said the flax. "How foolish the fence post was
with its song of--

'Snip, snap, snurre,
Basse, lurre,