Hippo's Hope
Hippo's Hope - meaning Summary
Ambition, Failure, Consolation
A comic, nursery-rhyme tale about a hippo who longs to fly. He makes wings, climbs a mountain, and experiences gleeful flight, sudden failure, and a disastrous fall presented as alternating "endings." The poem mixes playful sound patterns and abrupt tonal shifts to show ambition, risk, and consequences. In the end the hippo abandons the quest and returns home for simple comforts, suggesting consolation after failed aspiration.
Read Complete AnalysesThere once was a hippo who wanted to fly -- Fly-hi-dee, try-hi-dee, my-hi-dee-ho. So he sewed him some wings that could flap through the sky -- Sky-hi-dee, fly-hi-dee, why-hi-dee-go. He climbed to the top of a mountain of snow -- Snow-hi-dee, slow-hi-dee, oh-hi-dee-hoo. With the clouds high above and the sea down below -- Where-hi-dee, there-hi-dee, scare-hi-dee-boo. (Happy ending) And he flipped and he flapped and he bellowed so loud -- Now-hi-dee, loud-hi-dee, proud-hi-dee-poop. And he sailed like an eagle, off into the clouds -- High-hi-dee, fly-hi-dee, bye-hi-dee-boop. (Unhappy ending) And he leaped like a frog and he fell like a stone -- Stone-hi-dee, lone-hi-dee, own-hi-dee-flop. And he crashed and he drowned and broke all his bones -- Bones-hi-dee, moans-hi-dee, groans-hi-dee-glop. (Chicken ending) He looked up at the sky and looked down at the sea -- Sea-hi-dee, free-hi-dee, whee-hi-dee-way. And he turned and went home and had cookies and tea -- That's hi-dee, all hi-dee, I have to say.
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