a learnèd cat walks round and round.
leftwards, a fairy tale he tells.
frail Tsar Kashchéy wilts by his gold.
And damned if you don't.
The Saying: DAMNED IF YOU DO AND DAMNED IF YOU DON'T
Who Said It: Lorenzo Dow
When: Before 1834
The Story behind It: American evangelist Lorenzo Dow decided at a very early age to devote his life to teaching the word of God and began preaching at the age of 19. Although his views were similar to those of the Methodists, he was never formally affiliated with them. He roamed on horseback throughout the northern and southern parts of the U.S. Dow's dramatic sermons, eccentric manners, and strange looking clothes made him a frequent topic of conversation. He died in 1834, and in 1836 his written works were edited and published. They included "Reflections on the Love of God," a strong criticism of preachers who supported the doctrine of Particular Election and confused their congregations by pointing out conflicting statements in the Bible. In it Dow chastised"... those who preach it up, to make the Bible clash and contradict itself, by preaching somewhat like this: 'You can and you can't-You shall and you shan't-You will and you won't-And you will be damned if you do-And you will be damned if you don't.' "
"Buddy Bolden's Blues"
Thought I heard, buddy bolden say
The nasty and dirty, take it away
You're terrible and awful, take it away
I thought I heard him say
Thought I heard, buddy bolden shout
Open up that window, and let that bad air out
Open up that window, and let that stinky air out
Thought I heard buddy bolden say
Thought I heard judge Fogerty say
Give him 30 days in the market
Take him away
Give him a broom to sweep with
Take him away
Thought I heard him say
Thought I heard Franky Dirson say
Gimme that money, girl,
or I'm gonna, I'm gonna take it away
Gimme that money you owe me, or I'll take it away
Thought I heard Franky Dirson say
The Grand Old Duke of York
Oh, the grand old duke of York
He had ten thousand men.
He marched them up to the top of the hill
And he marched them down again.
When they were up, they were up.
And when they were down, they were down.
And when they were only half way up,
They were neither up nor down.
If all the seas were one sea
If all the seas were one sea,
What a great sea that would be!
If all the trees were one tree,
What a great tree that would be!
If all the axes were one axe,
What a great axe that would be!
If all the men were one man,
What a great man that would be!
And if the great man took the great axe,
And cut down the great tree,
And let it fall into the great sea,
What a splash-splash that would be!
POEMS OF WAR AND PATRIOTISM
Only a man harrowing clods
In a slow silent walk
With an old horse that stumbles and nods
Half asleep as they stalk
Only thin smoke without flame
From the heaps of couch-grass;
Yet this will go onward the same
Though Dynasties pass
Yonder a maid and her wight
Come whispering by:
War's annals will cloud into night
Ere their story die.
The chief defect of Henry King
The chief defect of Henry King
Was chewing little bits of string,
At last he swallowed some which tied
itself in ugly knots inside,
Physicians of the utmost fame
were called at once; but when they came
They answered, as they took their fees,
"There is no cure for this disease.
Henry will very soon be dead"
His parents stood about his bed
Lamenting his untimely death,
When Henry, with his latest breath,
Cried "Oh, my friends, be warned by me,
That Breakfast, Dinner, Lunch and Tea
Are all the human frame requires..."
With that the wretched child expires
Sleep, sleep, beauty bright
Sleep, sleep, beauty bright
Dreaming o'er the Joys of night
Sleep, sleep: in the sleep
Little sorrows sit and weep.
Every time I climb a tree
Every time I climb a tree
Every time I climb a tree
Every time I climb a tree
I scrape a leg
Or skin a knee
And every time I climb a tree
I find some ants
Or dodge a bee
And get the ants
All over me.
And every time I climb a tree
Where have you been?
They say to me
But don't they know that I am free
Every time I climb a tree?
For every time I climb a tree
I see a lot of things to see
Swallows, rooftops and TV
And all the fields and farms there be
Every time I climb a tree
Though climbing may be good for ants
It isn't awfully good for pants
But still it's pretty good for me
Every time I climb a tree.
Friends a hundred miles apart
Friends a hundred miles apart
Sit and chatter heart to heart,
Boys and girls from school afar
Speak to mother, ask papa.
What does he plant who plants a tree?
What does he plant who plants a tree?
He plants the friend of sun and sky,
He plants the flag of breezes free,
The shaft of beauty, towering high,
He plants a home to heaven anigh.
There once was a lady from Guam
There once was a lady from Guam
Who said, "Now the ocean's so calm
I will swim for a lark."
She encountered a shark.
Let us now sing the th Psalm.
And there are many other balls
And there are many other balls
We find at pleasure's source -
The croquet-ball, the hockey-ball.
The skittle-ball, lacrosse,
And smaller balls, the marble balls,
And bearing balls, of course.
The earth's a ball, on which we play,
With other balls in sight,
The ball of gold that plays by day,
The silver ball by night.
And all the stars, for what are they
But balls of golden light?
An open door says, "Come in."
An open door says, "Come in."
A shut door says, "Who are you?"
Shadows and ghosts go through shut doors.
If a door is shut and you want it shut,
why open it?
If a door is open and you want it open,
why shut it?
Doors forget but only doors know what it is
doors forget.
The Camel's hump is an ugly lump
The Camel's hump is an ugly lump
Which well you may see at the Zoo;
But uglier yet is the hump we get
From having too little to do.
Kiddies and grown-ups too-oo-oo,
If we haven't enough to do-oo-oo,
We get the hump -
Gameelious hump -
The hump that is black and blue!
I get it as well as you-oo-oo-
If I haven't enough to do-oo-ool
We all get hump -
Gameelious hump
Kiddies and grown-ups tool.
U can be seen without a Q.
U can be seen without a Q.
But Q must always go with U.
So here is a Q all on its own.
Come on, Q. Stand up alone.
U keep out.
Alas poor Q feels qivery, qavery
Qietly sick...
Hurry back, U,
To the rescue - quick!
If you ever, ever, ever meet a grizzly bear,
If you ever, ever, ever meet a grizzly bear,
You must never, never, never ask him where
He is going,
Or what he is doing,
For if you ever, ever dare
To stop a grizzly bear,
You will never meet another grizzly bear.
Yes, weekly from Southhampton
Yes, weekly from Southhampton
Great steamers, white and gold,
Go rolling down to Rio
(Roll down-roll down to Rio!)
And I'd like to roll to Rio
Some days before I'm old!
I've never seen a Jaguar,
Nor yet an Armadil
O dilloing in his armour,
And I s'pose I never will,
Unless I go to Rio
These wonders to behold -
Roll down-roll down to Rio -
Roll really down to Rio!
Oh, I'd love to roll to Rio
Some day before I'm old!
No sun - no moon!
No sun - no moon!
No morn - no noon -
No dawn - no dusk - no proper time of day -
No sky - no earthly view -
No distance looking blue -
No road - no street - no "t'other side the way" -
No end to any Row -
No indications where the Crescents go -
No top to any steeple -
No recognition of familiar people!
No warmth, no cheerfulness, no healthful ease,
No comfortable feel in any member -
No shade, no shine, no butterflies, no bees -
No fruits, no flowers, no leaves, no birds
No - vember - !
The frost is here,
The frost is here,
The fuel is dear,
And woods are sear,
And fires burn clear,
And frost is here
And has bitten the heel of the going year
Bite, frost, bite!
The woods are all the searer,
The fuel is all the dearer,
The fires are all the clearer,
My spring is all the nearer,
You have bitten into the heart of the earth,
But not into mine.
I heard music unawares
I heard music unawares
Upstairs, downstairs,
Here and there and everywheres.
Never were such lovely airs
Upstairs, downstairs,
Here and there and everywheres .
Some one sings and some one shares
Upstairs, downstairs,
Here and there and everywheres.
Some one comes and some one cares
Upstairs, downstairs,
Here and there and everywheres.
Double love and double dares
Upstairs, downstairs,
Here and there and everywheres.
Here's a body - there's a bed!
Here's a body - there's a bed!
There's a pillow - here's a head!
There's a curtain - here's a light!
There's a puff -- and so good night!
Said the Wind to the Moon, "I will blow you out,
Said the Wind to the Moon, "I will blow you out,
You stare in the air like a ghost in a chair."
He blew a great blast, and the thread was gone.
In the air nowhere was a moonbeam bare.
They are not to be told by the dozen or score,
They are not to be told by the dozen or score,
By thousands they come, and by myriads and more,
Such numbers had never been heard of before,
Such a judgement had never been witnessed of yore.
And in at the window and in at the door,
And through the walls helter-skelter they pour,
And down from the ceiling and up through the floor,
From the right and the left, from behind and before.
Hop step step step,
Hop step step step,
Hop step step step
Go the Polish dancers.
Polka or Mazurka?
I wish I knew the answers.
Such names to me sound rigmarolish,
I must polish up my Polish.
But outer space,
But outer space,
At least thus far,
For all the fuss
Of the populace
Stays more popular
Than populous.
P stands for every pretty thing,
P stands for every pretty thing,
wherever you may find it,
The sweet Pea in the garden,
and the Pretty face behind it,
It stands for Peace and Plenty too,
'tis well that we should mind it.
P stands for many other things,
for Prejudice and Pride,
For Pertness, Pique, Perversity,
and Petulance beside,
And these are P's that we must mind,
and keep them far and wide.
B's the Bus
B's the Bus
The bouncing Bus,
That bears a shopper store-ward.
It's fun to sit
In back of it
But seats are better forward.
Although it's big as buildings are
And looks both bold and grand,
It has to stop obligingly
If you but raise your hand.
It is the duty of the student
It is the duty of the student
Without exception to be prudent.
If smarter than his teacher, tact
Demands that he conceals the fact.
This is a cat that sleeps at night,
This is a cat that sleeps at night,
That takes delight
In visions bright,
And not a vagrant that creeps at night
On box cars by the river,
This is a sleepy cat to purr
And rarely stir
It's shining fur,
This is a cat whose softest purr
Means salmon, steaks, and liver.
That is a cat respectable
Connectable
With selectable,
Whose names would make you quiver.
That is a cat of piety,
Not satiety,
But sobriety.
Its very purr is of piety
And thanks to its Feline Giver.
Lazy-bones Grundy
Lazy-bones Grundy
Must do sums for Monday.
"And today it is Tuesday",
Says lazy-bones Grundy,
"So, I'll do it on Wednesday,
If not - then on Thursday,
Or even on Friday,"
Says lazy-bones Grundy.
Now very soon comes Friday
And Saturday comes,
But lazy-bones Grundy
Has no time for sums.
"Never mind", says Grundy,
"I'll do it on Sunday"
When all the world is young, lad,
When all the world is young, lad,
And all the trees are green;
And every goose a swan, lad,
And every lass a queen;
Then hey for boot and horse, lad,
And round the world away;
Young blood must have its course, lad
And every dog his day.
When all the world is old, lad,
And all the trees are brown;
And all the sport is stale, lad,
And all the wheels run down;
Creep home, and take your place there,
The spent and maimed among:
God grant you find one face there,
You loved when all was young.
Clickety-clack
Clickety-clack
Wheels on the track
This is the way
They begin to attack;
Click-ety-clack,
Click-ety-clack ,
Click-ety-clack-ety;
Click-ety-click
Clack.
Clickety-clack,
Over the crack
Faster and faster
The song of the track:
Clickety-clack ,.
Clickety-clack ,
Clickety, clackety,
Clackety ..
Clack .
Our great steeple clock
Our great steeple clock
Goes Tick-Tock, Tick-Tock.
Our small mantel clock
Goes Tick-Tack, Tick-Tack,
Riding in front,
Riding in back,
Everyone hears the song of the track:
Clickety-clack,.
Clickety-clack,..
Clickety, clackety
Clackety
Clack..
Golden in the garden,
Golden in the garden,
Golden in the glen,
Golden, golden, golden
September's here again!
Golden in the tree-tops,
Golden in the sky,
Golden, golden, golden
September's passing by.
O the green things growing, the green things growing,
O the green things growing, the green things growing,
The faint sweet smell of the green things growing!
I should like to live, whether I smile or grieve,
Just to watch the happy life of my green things growing.
A centipede was happy quite,
A centipede was happy quite,
Until a frog in fun
Said, "Pray, which leg comes after which,"
This raised her mind to such a pitch,
She lay distracted in the ditch
Considering how to run.
Children, aunts are not glamorous creatures,
Children, aunts are not glamorous creatures,
As very often their features
Tend to be elderly caricatures of your own.
Algy met a bear,
Algy met a bear,
The bear was bulgy,
The bulge was Algy.
The rain it raineth on the just
The rain it raineth on the just
And also on the unjust fella;
But chiefly on the just, because
The unjust steals the just's umbrella.
God made the bees,
God made the bees,
And the bees make honey,
The miller's man does all the work,
But the miller makes the money.
Summer is the play-by-the-stream time,
Summer is the play-by-the-stream time,
Roll-in-the-meadow-and-dream time,
Lie-on-your-back-and-chew-grass time,
Watch-butterflies-as-they-pass time,
Try-and-pick-daisies-with-toes time,
Playing-where-nobody-knows time.
The sun descending in the west,
The sun descending in the west,
The evening star does shine,
The birds are silent in their nest,
And I must seek for mine.
The moon like a flower,
In heaven's high bower,
With silent delight
Sits and smiles on the night.
If many men knew
If many men knew
What many men know,
If many men went
Where many men go,
If many men did
What many men do,
The world would be better -
I think so; don't you?
March in mighty millions pouring,
March in mighty millions pouring,
Forges flaring, cannon roaring,
Life and Death in final warring
Call you, Workingmen!
At your benches planning, speeding,
In the trenches baffling, bleeding,
Yours the help the world is needing,
Answer, Workingmen!
F is the fighting Firetruck
F is the fighting Firetruck
That's painted a flaming red.
When the signals blast
It follows fast
When the chief flies on ahead.
And buses pull to the curbing
At the siren's furious cry,
For early or late
They have to wait
When the Firetruck flashes by.
In spite of her sniffle,
In spite of her sniffle,
Isabel's chiffle.
Some girls with a sniffle
Would be weepy and tiffle,
They would look awful,
Like a rained-on waffle,
But Isabel's chiffle
In spite of her sniffle
Some girls with a snuffle,
Their tempers are uffle,
But when Isabel's snivelly
She's perfectly luffly.
I've watched you now a full half-hour,
I've watched you now a full half-hour,
Self-poised upon that yellow flower,
And, little butterfly! indeed
I know not if you sleep or feed.
The tide in the river,
The tide in the river,
The tide in the river ,
The tide in the river runs deep,
I saw a shiver
Pass over the river
As the tide turned in its sleep.
September was the seventh month
September was the seventh month
From romulus that came.
Ninth in the modern calender, it still
retains the name.
October eighth, November ninth,
December tenth of old.
Are now the tenth, eleventh and twelfth
but still these names they hold.
The more we study, the more we know,
The more we study, the more we know,
The more we know, the more we forget.
The more we forget, the less we know.
The less we know, the less we forget.
The less we forget, the more we know.
Why study?
Here's a health to all those that we love,
Here's a health to all those that we love,
Here's a health to all those that love us,
Here's a health to all those that love them
That love those that love us!
Sixteen
Sixteen
Sees and laughs,
Sleeps and eats,
Babbles, thinks,
Loves and hates,
Stretches, lives
And hopefully waits
In the morning the city
In the morning the city
Spreads its wings
Making a song
In stone that sings
In the evening the city
Goes to bed
Hanging lights
About its head
Are rose is a rose,
Are rose is a rose,
And was always a rose,
But the theory now goes
That the apple's a rose,
And the pear is, and so's
The plum, I suppose.
The dear only knows
What will next prove a rose.
You, of course, are a rose-
But were always a rose.
Brown eyes, straight nose
Brown eyes, straight nose
Dirt pies, rumpled clothes.
Torn books, spoilt toys;
Arch looks, unlike a boy's;
Little rages, obvious arts;
(Three her age is), cakes, tarts;
Falling down off chairs;
Breaking crown down stairs;
Catching flies on the pane;
Deep sighs-cause not plain;
Bribing you with kisses
For a few farthing blisses
New shoes, new frock;
Vague views of what's o'clock.
Bed gown white, kiss Dolly;
Good night! - that's Polly.
Two deep clear eyes,
Two deep clear eyes,
Two ears, a mouth, a nose,
Ten supple fingers,
And ten nimble toes,
Two hands, two feet,
two arms, two legs.
And a heart through which
Love's blessing flows.
Eyes bid ears
Hark:
Ears bid eyes
Mark:
Mouth bids nose
Smell:
Nose says to mouth,
I will:
Heart bids mind
Wonder:
Mind bids heart
Ponder.
A short direction
A short direction
To avoid dejection,
By variations
In occupations,
And prolongation
Of relaxation,
and combinations
of recreations,
And disputation
On the state of nation
In adaptation
To your station,
By invitations,
To friends and relations,
By evitation
Of amputation,
By permutation
In conversation,
And deep reflection
You'll avoid dejection.
Moral: Behave
I wish you health but not with wealth
I wish you health but not with wealth
I wish you work and worry
I wish you what I wish myself,
A share in man's sad story.
I wish you, on that next-door day
We coax the world to spin our way
A share in all its glory.
Digging for treasure?
Digging for treasure?
Nay, not a bit of it!
Digging for pleasure?
Aye, there's the wit of it!
Digging for treasure
We dig all day
With never a measure
For labour pay.
Digging for pleasure
We surely earn
A spadeful of treasure
At every turn.
When a man's busy, why, leisure
When a man's busy, why, leisure
Strikes him as wonderful pleasure:
'Faith, and at leisure once is he,
Straightaway he wants to be busy.
It was laughing time, and a tall Giraffe
It was laughing time, and a tall Giraffe
Lifted his head and began to laugh:
Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!
And the Chimpanzee on the gingko tree
Swung merrily down with a Tee
Hee Hee: Hee! Hee! Hee! Hee!
"It's certainly not against the law!"
Croaked Justice Crow with a loud guffaw
Haw! Haw! Haw! Haw!
The dancing bear who could never say "No'.
Waltzed up and down on the tip of his toe
Hol Но! Но! Но!
The donkey daintily took his paw,
And around they went: Hee-Haw! Hee-Haw
Hee-Haw! Hee-Haw!
The moon had to smile and it started to climb,
All over the world it was laughing time!
Ho! Ho! Ho! Hee-Haw! Hee-Haw!
Hee! Hee! Hee! Hee! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!
Heap high the farmer's wintry hoard
Heap high the farmer's wintry hoard
Heap high the golden corn!
No richer gift has autumn poured
From out her lavish hornl
What is all this washing about,
What is all this washing about,
Every day, week in, week out?
From getting up till going to bed,
I'm tired of hearing the same thing said.
Whether I am dirty or whether I am not,
Whether the water is cold or hot,
Whether I like it or whether I don't -
Whether I will or whether I won't -
Have you washed your hands, and washed your face?
I seem to live in the washing-place
Great, wide, beautiful wonderful world,
Great, wide, beautiful wonderful world,
With the wonderful water round you curled,
And the wonderful grass upon your breast -
World, you are beautifully dressed!
The wonderful air is over me,
And the wonderful wind is shaking the tree-
It walks on the water, and whirls the mills.
And talks to itself on the top of the hills.
The little boy who says "I'll try",
The little boy who says "I'll try",
Will climb to the hill-top;
The little boy who says "I can't",
Will at the bottom stop
The one- lama
The one- lama
He's a priest
The two- llama
He's a beast
And I will bet
A silk pajama
There isn't any
Three- lllama
I spot the hills
I spot the hills
With yellow balls in autumn
I light the prairie cornfields
Orange and tawny gold clusters
And I am called pumpkins.
On the last of October
When dusk is fallen
Children join hands
And circle round me
Singing ghost songs
And love to the harvest moon,
I am a jack-o'-lantern
With terrible teeth
And the children know
I am fooling.
The rain is raining all around, It falls on field and tree,
The rain is raining all around, It falls on field and tree,
It rains on the umbrellas here,
And on the ships at sea.
Big trucks for steel beams,
Big trucks for steel beams,
Big trucks for coal,
Rumbling down the broad streets,
Heavily they roll.
Little trucks for groceries,
Little trucks for bread,
Turning into every street,
Rushing on ahead.
Big trucks, little trucks,
In never ending lines,
Rumble on and rush ahead
While I read their signs.
Why do you listen, trees?
Why do you listen, trees?
Why do you wait? Why do you fumble at the breeze --
Gesticulate With hopeless fluttering hands -
Stare down the vanished road beyond the gate
That now no longer stands?
Why do you wait -
Trees -
Why do you listen, trees ?
Spring grass, there is a dance to be danced for you.
Spring grass, there is a dance to be danced for you.
Come up, spring grass, if only for young feet.
Come up, spring grass, young feet ask you.
Smell of the young spring grass,
You're a mascot riding on the wind horses.
You came to my nose and spiffed me.
This is your lucky year.
Young spring grass just after the winter,
Shoots of the big green whisper of the year,
Come up, if only young feet.
Come up, young feet ask you.
The Early Bird
The Early Bird
The early bird, so I have heard,
Catches the worm, and 'pon my word,
I know two chaps and yet a third
Could learn a lesson from that bird.
Hurdy-Gurdy by Ogden Nash
Hurdy-Gurdy by Ogden Nash
Hurdy-gurdy organ-grinder
Lost his wife and couldn't find her.
He sought her late, he sought her early
With hurdy-gurdy hurly-burly,
Found her in a gingerbread house,
Waltzing with a waltzing mouse.
He locked them in his hurdy-gurdy,
Which suggested the plot of Aide to Verdi.
Queen Mab's Chariot by Michael Drayton
Queen Mab's Chariot by Michael Drayton
Fib, and Tib, and Pink, and Pin,
Pick, and Quick, and Jill, and Jin,
Tit, and Nit, and Wap, and Wim –
The train that wait upon her.
April by Ted Robinson
April by Ted Robinson
So here we are in April, in snowy, blowy April,
In frowsy, blowsy April, the rowdy, dowdy time,
In soppy, sloppy April, in wheezy, breezy April,
In ringing, stinging April, with a singing swinging rhyme!
The smiling sun of April on the violets, is focal,
The sudden showers of April seek the dandelions out,
The tender airs of April make the local yokel vocal,
And he raises rustic ditties with a most melodious shout.
So here we are in April, in tipsy gipsy April,
In showery, flowery April, the twinkly, sprinkly days,
In tingly, jingly April, in highly wily April,
In mightly flightly April with its highty-tighty ways!
The duck is fond of April, and the clucking chickabiddy.
And other barnyard creatures have a try at carolling.
There's something in the air to turn a stiddy kiddy giddy.
And even I am forced to raise my croaking voice and sing.
Golden Bells by Edgar A. Рое
Golden Bells by Edgar A. Рое
Hear the mellow wedding bells. Golden Bells!
What a world of happiness their harmony foretells!
Oh, from out the sounding cells,
What a gush of euphony voluminously wells!
How it swells!
How it dwells
On the future! How it tells
Of the rapture that impels
To the swinging and the ringing
Of the bells, bells, bells,
Of the bells, bells, bells, bells,
Bells, bells, bells –
To the rhyming and the chiming of the bells!
Eletelephony by Laura E. Richards
Eletelephony by Laura E. 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!)
Alas, Alack! by Walter de la Mare
Alas, Alack! by Walter de la Mare
Ann, Ann?
Come quick as you can!
There's a fish that talks
In the frying-pan.
Out of the fat,
As clear as glass,
He put up his mouth
And moaned "Alasl"-
Oh, most mournful,
"Alas, alackl"
Then turned to the sizzling
And sank him back.
Shoes and Stockings by A. A. Milne
Shoes and Stockings by A. A. Milne
There's a cavern in the mountain
where the old men meet
(Hammer, hammer, hammer...
Hammer, hammer, hammer...)
My lady is marrying her own true knight,
White her gown, and her veil is white,
But she must have slippers on her dainty feet.
Hammer, hammer, hammer...
Hammer.
There's a cottage by the river
where the old wives meet
(Chatter, chatter, chatter...
Chatter, chatter, chatter...)
My lady is going to her own true man,
Youth to youth, since the world began,
But she must have stockings on her dainty feet.
Chatter, chatter, chatter...
Chatter.
The Frog by Hilaire Belloc
The Frog by Hilaire Belloc
Be kind and tender to the Frog,
And do not call him names,
As "Slimy skin" or "Polly-wog",
Or likewise "Ugly James ",
Or "Gape-a-grin", or " Toad-gone-wrong"
Or "Billy Bandy-knees":
The Frog is justly sensitive
To epithets like these.
The Washing-up Song by Elizabeth Could
Sing a song of washing up,
Water hot as hot.
Cups and saucers, plates and spoons,
Dishes such a lot!
Work the dish mop round and round,
Wash them clean as clean
Polish with a dry white cloth,
How busy we have been!
The Listening Woods by Ida W. Benham
The Listening Woods by Ida W. Benham
I looked at the shadowed mosses,
I looked at the nests o'erhead,
I looked at the small brook dreaming
Alone in its sandy bed.
A Logical Song
A Logical Song
I would, if I could,
If I couldn't how could l?
I couldn't, without I could, could l?
Could you, without you could, could ye?
Could ye? could ye?
Could you, without you could, could ye?
The Brook by Alfred Tennyson
The Brook by Alfred Tennyson
Grumbling, stumbling,
Fumbling all the day,
Fluttering, stuttering ,
Muttering away,
Rustling, hustling,
Bustling as it flows,
That it how the brook talks,
Bubbling as it goes.
Tugs by James S. Tippet
Tugs by James S. Tippet
Chug! Puff! Chug!
Push, little tug.
Chug! Puff! Chug.!
Pull, strong tug.
Busy harbor tugs,
Like round water bugs,
Hurry here and there,
Working everywhere.
A Lazy Thought by Eve Merriam
A Lazy Thought by Eve Merriam
There go the grown-ups
To the office,
To the store.
Subway rush,
Traffic crush;
Hurry, scurry,
Worry, flurry.
No wonder
Grown-ups
Won't grow up
Any more.
It takes a lot
Of slow
To grow.
Dust of Snow by Robert Frost
The way a crow
Shook down on me
The dust of snow
From a hemlock tree
Has given my heart
A change of mood
And saved some part
Of a day I have rued.
A Puzzling Question by A.M.Pratt
A Puzzling Question by A.M.Pratt
Grandma says (though I don't know why)
That I am the apple of her eye,
Brother calls me a dunce; Aunt Fan
Always says I'm her little man;
Father says I'm a reg' lar boy,
And mother calls me her pride'n' joy.
Now this is what I should like to know –
How in the world a fellow can grow?
Who's a pride 'n' joy, an apple, a dunce,
A reg'lar boy and a man at once!
Scramble by Jack Prelutsky
Scramble by Jack Prelutsky
If the zebra were given the spots of the leopard
and the leopard the spots of the zebra
then the leopard would have to be renamed the zeopard,
and the zebra retitled the lebra.
And wouldn't we laugh if the gentle giraffe
swapped his neck for the hump on the camel?
For the camel would henceforth be called the camaffe,
the giraffe designated giramel.
It would be very funny, if the ears of the bunny
were exchanged for the horns of the sheep.
For the sheep would then surely be known as the shunny,
and the bunny quite simply the beep.
Spring Rain
Spring Rain
Rain, rain, rain, April rain,
You are feeding seed and grain,
You are raising plants and crops
With your gaily sparkling drops.
The Unwinged Ones by Ogden Nash
I don't travel on planes.
I travel on trains.
Once in a while, on trains,
I see people who travel on planes.
Every once in a while I'm surrounded
By people whose planes have been grounded
They feel that they have to explain
How they happen to be on a train.
They grumble and fume about how
They'd have been in Miami by now.
By the time that they're passing through Rahway
They should be in Havana or Norway,
And they strongly imply that perhaps,
Since they're late, the world will collapse.
Sometimes on the train I'm surrounded
By people whose planes have been grounded.
That's the trouble with trains:
When it fogs, when it smogs, when it rains,
You get people from planes.
Dream Song by Walter de la Mare
Dream Song by Walter de la Mare
Sunlight, moonlight –
Twilight, starlight –
Lanternlight, taper-light,
Torchlight, no-light:
EIf-light, bat-light,
Touchwood-light, and toad-light.
And the sea ashimmering gloom of grey,
And a small face smiling
In a dream's beguiling
In a world of wonders far away.
The Lion by Ogden Nash
The Lion by Ogden Nash
Oh, weep for Mr. and Mrs. Bryan!
He was eaten by a lion,
Following which, the lion's lioness
Up and swallowed Bryan's Bryaness.
Something untitled by Lewis Carroll
Something untitled by Lewis Carroll
Said the Crab unto the Oyster
Do not loiter in this cloister,
Join me in a voyage rare,
Up into the moist salt air.
Noise and turmoil would annoy me,
Toil and trouble, too would cloy me,
Should I leave this royal cloister
Adroitly rejoined the oyster.
Take me Back to Toyland
Take me Back to Toyland
Please take me back to Toyland,
E'vryone's happy there.
It's more than a girl and boy land,
Where dreams, just like toys, can be shared.
If you believe in Toyland,
Believe in things that you cannot see;
All the world would become a Joy land,
What a wonderful world this would be!
Autumn Leaves by Eve Merriam
Autumn Leaves by Eve Merriam
Down
Autumn leaves tumble down,
Down.
Autumn leaves bumble down,
Down..
Autumn leaves bumble down ,
Red
Flaking and shaking,
Yellow
Tumbledown leaves.
Brown
Primer Lesson by Carl Sandburg
Primer Lesson by Carl Sandburg
Look out how you use proud words,
When you let proud words go, it is not easy to call them back.
They walk off proud; they can't hear you calling –
Look out how you use proud words.
No, No, November
No, No, November
Autumn crowns the glowing sphere,
Winter's grasp is full of cheer,
You between them, sad and dear,
Bind your brows with leafage sere,
Saying, "I remember
When the year was not a bier"–
Ah, woe, November!
Bacon and Eggs by Sir A. P. Herbert
Bacon and Eggs by Sir A. P. Herbert
Now blest be the Briton, his beef and his beer,
And all the strong waters that keep him in cheer,
But blest beyond cattle and blest beyond kegs
Is the brave British breakfast of bacon and eggs–
Bacon and eggs,
Bacon and eggs;
Sing bacon,
Red bacon, Red bacon and eggs!
O breakfast! O breakfast! The meal of my heart!
Bring porridge, bring sausage, bring fish for a start,
Bring kidney and mushrooms and partridges' legs,
But let the foundation be bacon and eggs
Bacon and eggs ,
Bacon and eggs ;
Bring bacon,
Crisp bacon,
And let there be eggs!
Old Ellen Sullivan by Winifred Welles
Old Ellen Sullivan by Winifred Welles
Down in our cellar on a Monday and a Tuesday,
You should hear the slapping and the rubbing and the muttering,
You should see the bubbles and the steaming and splashing.
The dark clothes dripping and the white clothes fluttering.
Where old Ellen Sullivan
Cross Ellen Sullivan,
Kind Ellen Sullivan,
Is washing and ironing, and ironing and washing.
Like a gnarled old root, like a bulb, brown and busy,
With earth and air and water angrily tussling,
Hissing at the flatirons, getting hot and huffy,
Then up to the sunlight with the baskets bustling
Comes old Ellen Sullivan,
Cross Ellen Sullivan,
Kind Ellen Sullivan ,
The clothes like blossoms, all sweet and fresh and fluffy.
To my Grammatical Niece by W. R. Spencer
To my Grammatical Niece by W. R. Spencer
The Nom'native Case which I study's - "A Niece"
Who is Genitive ever of kindness to me;
When I am sad, she's so Dative of comfort and peace,
That I scarce against fate can Accusative be!
O Friendship (this Vocative most I prefer),
Makes my case always Ablative - "by and with her".
Your Mother's a Verb from Anomaly free,
Though Indicative always of learning and sense
In all of her moods she's Potential o'er me,
And the Perfect is still her invariable Tense!
Though Passive in temper, most Active in spirit,
And we are Deponents - who swear to her merit)
The Golden Legend by Joe Wallace
The Golden Legend by Joe Wallace
A thousand faiths with a common dream
A thousand tongues with a common theme
A thousand thoughts with a single plan:
Peace on earth and goodwill to man!
Clocks and Watches by Olive Sansom
Clocks and Watches by Olive Sansom
Our great
Steeple clock
Goes Ticl.-Tock.
Tick-Tock.
Our small
Mantel clock
Goes Tick-Tack, Tick-Tack ,
Riding in front ,
Riding in back ,
Everyone hears
The song of the track:
Clickety-clack,...
Clickety-clack,....
Clickety, clackety..
Clackety..
Clack...
Tick-Tack, Tick-Tack.
There was a Boy whose name was Jim,
There was a Boy whose name was Jim,
His friends were very good to him.
They gave him Tea, and Cakes, and Jam,
And slices of delicious Ham,
And Chocolate with pink inside,
And little Tricycles to ride,
And read him Stories through and through,
And even took him to the Zoo -
But there it was the dreadful Fate
Befell him, which I now relate.
You know - at least you ought to know,
For I have often told you so -
That children never are allowed
To leave their Nurses in a Crowd;
Now this was Jim's especial Foible,
He ran away when he was able,
And on this inauspicious day
He slipped his hand and ran away!
He hadn't gone a yard when - Bang!
With open Jaws, a Lion sprang,
And hungrily begun to eat
The Boy: beginning at his feet.
Now just imagine how it feels
When first your toes and then your heels,
And then by gradual degrees,
Your shins and ankles, calves and knees,
Are slowly eaten, bit by bit.
No wonder Jim detested it!
No wonder that he shouted 'Hi!'
The Honest Keeper heard his cry,
Though very fat he almost ran
To help the little gentleman.
'Ponto!' he ordered as he came
(For Ponto was the Lion's name),
'Ponto!' he cried, with angry Frown.
'Let go Sir! Down, Sir! Put it down!'
The Lion made a sudden stop,
He let the Dainty Morsel drop,
And slunk reluctant to his Cage,
Snarling with Disappointed Rage
But when he bent him over Jim,
The Honest Keeper's Eyes were dim.
The Lion having reached his Head,
The Miserable Boy was dead!
When Nurse informed his Parents, they
Were more Concerned than I can say:-
His Mother, as She dried her eyes,
Said, 'Well - it gives me no surprise,
He would not do as he was told!'
His Father, who was self-controlled,
Bade all the children round attend
To James' miserable end,
And always keep a-hold of Nurse
For fear of finding something worse.
