Adam sat there in Paradise
Feeling lonely and bored,
Till suddenly struck by a brilliant idea
Which he went and told to the Lord.

"What I need is a female companion
To share my joy and my pain,
To bring beauty and gentleness into my life
And relief to my lonely domain.

With a voice like a linnet's song
And breath like the flowers of spring,
Who moves through the world with a charm and a grace
Like a soaring bird on the wing.

She'll come to me whenever I call
And minister to all of my needs.
She'll never scold me, nor complain
No matter how foolish my deeds.

She'll rise at dawn to light the fire
When she knows there's a burgeoning storm,
Then go to the forest, gathering wood
So I can get up in the warm.

She'll fetch the water, pick the crops,
Berry, wheat and bean.
She'll till the fields and milk the cow
And keep the living hut clean.

She can grind the flour and bake the bread
And mend the roof of the hut.
She can run my errands, peel me a grape
And crack the occasional nut."

"No problem, Adam." Sayeth the Lord.
"But one question first I may beg,
Do you realise that what you are asking of me
Will cost you an arm and a leg."

At first poor Adam reeled with shock,
But soon returned rather glib.
"I cannot afford an arm or a leg
But what can I get for a rib?"



The answer, they say, is history.