The man who encounters the hare,
Will never get the better of him,
Except he lay down on ground,
The weapon he bears in his hand
(Be it hunting-staff or bow),
And bless him with his elbow.
And with sincere devotion
Utter this one prayer
In praise of the hare-
Then he will better fare:
‘The hare, the hare-kin
Old Big-bum, Old Bouchart,
The hare-ling, the frisky one,
Old Turpin, the fast traveller,
The way-beater, the white-spotted one,
The lurker in ditches, the filthy beast,
Old Wimount, the coward,
The slink-away, the nibbler