Goergina abegail s.

caldamo They sailed away, for a year and a

English 38 day,

To the land where the Bong-Tree

VERSES FOR CHILDREN
grows
 Poets of nonsense verse:

1. Edward Leary (1812-1888)

ENG38
The Owl And The Pussycat

By Edward Lear
And there in a wood a Piggy-wig
I
stood
The Owl and the Pussy-cat went to
With a ring at the end of his nose,
sea
His nose,
In a beautiful pea-green boat,
His nose,
They took some honey, and plenty of
With a ring at the end of his nose.
money,

Wrapped up in a five-pound note.

III
The Owl looked up to the stars
‘Dear Pig, are you willing to sell for
above,
one shilling
And sang to a small guitar,
Your ring?’ Said the Piggy, ‘I will.’
‘O lovely Pussy! O Pussy, my love,
So they took it away, and were
What a beautiful Pussy you are,
married next day
You are,
By the Turkey who lives on the hill.
You are!
They dined on mince, and slices of
What a beautiful Pussy you are!’
quince,
II
Which they ate with a runcible
Pussy said to the Owl, ‘You elegant
spoon;
fowl!
How Pleasant To Know Mr. Lear
How charmingly sweet you sing!
By Edward Lear
O let us be married! too long we
How pleasant to know Mr. Lear,
have tarried:
Who has written such volumes of
But what shall we do for a ring?’
stuff.
Some think him ill-tempered and

queer, He weeps by the side of the ocean,

But a few find him pleasant enough. He weeps on the top of the hill;

His mind is concrete and fastidious, He purchases pancakes and lotion,

His nose is remarkably big; And chocolate shrimps from the mill.

His visage is more or less hideous, He reads, but he does not speak,

His beard it resembles a wig. Spanish,

He has ears, and two eyes, and ten He cannot abide ginger beer;

fingers, Ere the days of his pilgrimage

(Leastways if you reckon two vanish,

thumbs); How pleasant to know Mr. Lear!And hand in hand, on the

edge of the
He used to be one of the singers,
sand,
But now he is one of the dumbs.
They danced by the light of the
He sits in a beautiful parlour,
moon,
With hundreds of books on the wall;
The moon,
He drinks a great deal of marsala,
The moon,
But never gets tipsy at all.
They danced by the light of the
He has many friends, laymen and
Moon
clerical,

Old Foss is the name of his cat;

2. Lewis Carrol (1882
His body is perfectly spherical,
-1898)
He weareth a runcible hat.
A Boat Beneath a Sunny Sky
When he walks in waterproof white,
By Lewis Carroll
The children run after him so!
A boat beneath a sunny sky,
Calling out, "He's gone out in his
Lingering onward dreamily

In an evening of July
night-
—
Gown, that crazy old Englishman,
Children three that nestle near,

Eager eye and willing ear,

oh!"
Pleased a simple tale to hear The frumious Bandersnatch!

— ’

Long has paled that sunny sky: He took his vorpal sword in hand:

Echoes fade and memories die: Long time the manxome foe he

Autumn frosts have slain July. sought—

Still she haunts me, phantomwise, So rested he by the Tumtum tree,

Alice moving under skies And stood awhile in thought.

Never seen by waking eyes. And, as in uffish thought he stood,

Children yet, the tale to hear, The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,

Eager eye and willing ear, Came whiffling through the tulgey

Lovingly shall nestle near. wood,

In a Wonderland they lie, And burbled as it came!

Dreaming as the days go by, One, two! One, two! And through

Dreaming as the summers die: and through

Ever drifting down the stream The vorpal blade went snicker

— -

Lingering in the golden gleam

— snack!

Life, what is it but a dream? He left it dead, and with its head

He went galumphing back.

Jabberwocky ‘And hast thou slain the

By Lewis Carroll Jabberwock?

‘Twas brillig, and the slithy toves Come to my arms, my beamish boy!

Did gyre and gimble in the wabe: O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!’

All mimsy were the borogoves, He chortled in his joy.

And the mome raths outgrabe. ‘Twas brillig, and the slithy toves

‘Beware the Jabberwock, my son! Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:

The jaws that bite, the claws that All mimsy were the borogoves,

catch! And the mome raths outgrabe.

Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun

3. Laura E. Richards (1850-1943)

Eletelephony

By Laura Elizabeth Richards

Once there was an elephant,

Who tried to use the telephant—

No! No! I mean an elephone

Who tried to use the telephone—

(Dear me! I am not certain quite

That even now I’ve got it right.)

Howe’er it was, he got his trunk

Entangled in the telephunk;

The more he tried to get it free,

The louder buzzed the telephee—

(I fear I’d better drop the song

Of elephop and telephong!)

Richards’s four “Nonsense

Verses” (TL66-7)

Nicholas Ned,

He lost his head,

And put a turnip on instead;

But then, ah me! He could not see, And breakfasted on it,

So he thought it was night, And rode to the moon on her

and he went to bed. grandmother’s crutch

II 4. A. A. (Alan Alexander) Milne

Ponsonby Perks, (1882-1956)

He fought with Turks, Disobedience

Performing many wonderful works; James James

He killed over forty, Morrison Morrison

Weatherby George Dupree

High-minded and Haughty, Took great

And cut off their heads with smiles Care of his Mother,

and smirks. Though he was only three.

James James Said to his Mother,

III "Mother," he said, said he;

Winfred White, "You must never go down

She married a fright, to the end of the town,

She called him her darling, her duck, if you don't go down with me."

her delight; James James

The back of his head Morrison's Mother

Was so lovely, she said, Put on a golden gown.

It dazzled her soul and enraptured James James Morrison's Mother

her sight. Drove to the end of the town.

James James Morrison's Mother

IV Said to herself, said she:

Harriet Hutch, "I can get right down

Her conduct was such, to the end of the town

Her uncle remarked it would and be back in time for tea."

conquer the Dutch: King John

She boiled her new bonnet, Put up a notice,

"LOST or STOLEN or STRAYED! (Somebody told me)

JAMES JAMES MORRISON'S Said to a man he knew:

MOTHER If people go down to the end of the

SEEMS TO HAVE BEEN town, well,

MISLAID. what can anyone do?"

LAST SEEN (Now then, very softly)

WANDERING VAGUELY: J.J.

QUITE OF HER OWN ACCORD, M.M.

SHE TRIED TO GET DOWN W.G.Du P.

TO THE END OF THE TOWN - Took great

C/O his M*****

FORTY SHILLINGS REWARD!" Though he was only 3.

James James J.J. said to his M*****

Morrison Morrison "M*****," he said, said he:

(Commonly known as Jim)

Told his "You-must-never-go-down-to-the-

Other relations end-of-the-town-

Not to go blaming him. if-you-don't-go-down-with-ME!"

James James

Said to his Mother, Sneezles

"Mother," he said, said he: By A. A. Milne

"You must never go down to the end Christopher Robin

of the town Had wheezles

without consulting me." And sneezles,

James James They bundled him

Morrison's mother Into

Hasn't been heard of since. His bed.

King John said he was sorry, They gave him what goes

So did the Queen and Prince. With a cold in the nose,

King John And some more for a cold

In the head. A sneezle

They wondered Or wheezle,

If wheezles A measle

Could turn May easily grow.

Into measles, But humour or pleazle

If sneezles The wheezle

Would turn Or sneezle,

Into mumps; The measle

They examined his chest Will certainly go."

For a rash, They expounded the reazles

And the rest For sneezles

Of his body for swellings and lumps. And wheezles,

They sent for some doctors The manner of measles

In sneezles When new.

And wheezles They said "If he freezles

To tell them what ought In draughts and in breezles,

To be done. Then PHTHEEZLES

All sorts and conditions May even ensue."

Of famous physicians Christopher Robin

Came hurrying round Got up in the morning,

At a run. The sneezles had vanished away.

They all made a note And the look in his eye

Of the state of his throat, Seemed to say to the sky,

They asked if he suffered from thirst; "Now, how to amuse them to-day?"

They asked if the sneezles

Came after the wheezles,

Or if the first sneezle

Came first.

They said, "If you teazle