Richard Edwards (also Edwardes) (1525-1566) was an English poet, playwright and composer. He was made a Gentleman of the Chapel Royal. He was known for his comedies.
Ten tall oak trees
Standing in a line,
’Warships,’ cried King Henry,
Then there were nine.
Nine tall oak trees
Growing strong and straight,
'Charcoal,’ breathed the furnace,
Then there were eight.
Eight tall oak trees
Reaching towards heaven,
'Sizzle' spoke the lightning,
Then there were seven.
Seven tall oak trees
Branches, leaves and sticks,
'Firewood,’ smiled the merchant,
Then there were six.
Six tall oak trees
Glad to be alive,
'Barrels,’ boomed the brewery,
Then there were five.
Five tall oak trees
Suddenly a roar,
‘Gangway,‘ screamed the west wind,
Then there were four.
Four tall oak trees
Sighing like the sea,
‘Floorboards,’ beamed the builder,
Then there were three.
Three tall oak trees
Groaning as trees do,
’Unsafe,‘ claimed the council,
Then there were two.
Two tall oak trees
Spreading in the sun,
'Progress,’ snarled the by-pass,
Then there was one.
One tall oak tree
Wishing it could run,
'Nuisance,’ grumped the farmer,
Then there were none.
No tall oak trees
Search the field in vain,
Only empty skylines
And the cold, grey rain.
Fill in the blanks. To begin with there were ten oak trees. (a) _____________ got one cut down to carve out (b) ____________. The ninth tree was cut down to provide (c) ___________. The eighth tree was devastated when (d) __________ struck. While the seventh was cut by the (e) ____________ for (f) _________ ; the sixth was chopped to make (g) __________ for the (h) ____________. The fifth tree was destroyed by (i) _____________ and the fourth of the oak trees cut for the (j) ____________ on the insistence of the (k) ___________ . The (I) ___________ got the third chopped off as it was (m) ____________. It was for (n) ____________ that the second was cut and the last one was cut down by the (o) ____________, who felt it was a (p) ____________. After the cutting down of trees, the field was (q) _____________.