Delphi Complete Poetical Works of Edward Lear Read online

This courageous Young Lady of Norway.

  There was an Old Man of Apulia

  There was an Old Man of Apulia,

  Whose conduct was very peculiar;

  He fed twenty sons upon nothing but buns,

  That whimsical Man of Apulia.

  There was an Old Man of Quebec, —

  There was an Old Man of Quebec, —

  A beetle ran over his neck;

  But he cried, “With a needle I’ll slay you, O beadle!”

  That angry Old Man of Quebec.

  There was a Young Lady of Bute

  There was a Young Lady of Bute,

  Who played on a silver-gilt flute;

  She played several jigs to her Uncle’s white Pigs:

  That amusing Young Lady of Bute.

  There was an Old Person of Philœ

  There was an Old Person of Philœ,

  Whose conduct was scroobious and wily;

  He rushed up a Palm when the weather was calm,

  And observed all the ruins of Philœ.

  There was an Old Man with a poker

  There was an Old Man with a poker,

  Who painted his face with red ochre.

  When they said, “You ‘re a Guy!” he made no reply,

  But knocked them all down with his poker.

  There was an Old Person of Prague

  There was an Old Person of Prague,

  Who was suddenly seized with the plague;

  But they gave him some butter, which caused him to mutter,

  And cured that Old Person of Prague.

  There was an Old Man of Peru

  There was an Old Man of Peru,

  Who watched his wife making a stew;

  But once, by mistake, in a stove she did bake

  That unfortunate Man of Peru.

  There was an Old Man of the North

  There was an Old Man of the North,

  Who fell into a basin of broth;

  But a laudable cook fished him out with a hook,

  Which saved that Old Man of the North.

  There was an Old Person of Troy

  There was an Old Person of Troy,

  Whose drink was warm brandy and soy,

  Which he took with a spoon, by the light of the moon,

  In sight of the city of Troy.

  There was an Old Person of Mold

  There was an Old Person of Mold,

  Who shrank from sensations of cold;

  So he purchased some muffs, some furs, and some fluffs,

  And wrapped himself well from the cold.

  There was an Old Person of Tring

  There was an Old Person of Tring,

  Who embellished his nose with a ring;

  He gazed at the moon every evening in June,

  That ecstatic Old Person of Tring.

  There was an Old Man of Nepaul

  There was an Old Man of Nepaul,

  From his horse had a terrible fall;

  But, though split quite in two, with some very strong glue

  They mended that man of Nepaul.

  There was an Old Man of the Nile

  There was an Old Man of the Nile,

  Who sharpened his nails with a file,

  Till he cut off his thumbs, and said calmly, “This comes

  Of sharpening one’s nails with a file!”

  There was an Old Man of th’ Abruzzi

  There was an Old Man of th’ Abruzzi,

  So blind that he couldn’t his foot see;

  When they said, “That’s your toe,” he replied, “Is it so?”

  That doubtful Old Man of th’ Abruzzi.

  There was an Old Man of Calcutta

  There was an Old Man of Calcutta,

  Who perpetually ate bread and butter;

  Till a great bit of muffin, on which he was stuffing,

  Choked that horrid Old Man of Calcutta.

  There was an Old Person of Rhodes

  There was an Old Person of Rhodes,

  Who strongly objected to toads;

  He paid several cousins to catch them by dozens,

  That futile Old Person of Rhodes.

  There was an Old Man of the South

  There was an Old Man of the South,

  Who had an immoderate mouth;

  But in swallowing a dish that was quite full of Fish,

  He was choked, that Old Man of the South.

  There was an Old Man of Melrose

  There was an Old Man of Melrose,

  Who walked on the tips of his toes;

  But they said, “It ain’t pleasant to see you at present,

  You stupid Old Man of Melrose.”

  There was an Old Man of the Dee

  There was an Old Man of the Dee,

  Who was sadly annoyed by a Flea;

  When he said, “I will scratch it!” they gave him a hatchet,

  Which grieved that Old Man of the Dee.

  There was a Young Lady of Lucca

  There was a Young Lady of Lucca,

  Whose lovers completely forsook her;

  She ran up a tree, and said “Fiddle-de-dee!”

  Which embarrassed the people of Lucca.

  There was an Old Man of Coblenz

  There was an Old Man of Coblenz,

  The length of whose legs was immense;

  He went with one prance from Turkey to France,

  That surprising Old Man of Coblenz.

  There was an Old Man of Bohemia

  There was an Old Man of Bohemia,

  Whose daughter was christened Euphemia;

  But one day, to his grief, she married a thief,

  Which grieved that Old Man of Bohemia.

  There was an Old Man of Corfu

  There was an Old Man of Corfu,

  Who never knew what he should do;

  So he rushed up and down, till the sun made him brown,

  That bewildered Old Man of Corfu.

  There was an Old Man of Vesuvius

  There was an Old Man of Vesuvius,

  Who studied the works of Vitruvius;

  When the flames burnt his book, to drinking he took,

  That morbid Old Man of Vesuvius.

  There was an Old Man of Dundee

  There was an Old Man of Dundee,

  Who frequented the top of a tree;

  When disturbed by the Crows, he abruptly arose,

  And exclaimed, “I’ll return to Dundee!”

  There was an Old Lady whose folly

  There was an Old Lady whose folly

  Induced her to sit in a holly;

  Whereon, by a thorn her dress being torn,

  She quickly became melancholy.

  There was an Old Man on some rocks

  There was an Old Man on some rocks,

  Who shut his Wife up in a box:

  When she said, “Let me out,” he exclaimed, “Without doubt

  You will pass all your life in that box.”

  There was an Old Person of Rheims

  There was an Old Person of Rheims,

  Who was troubled with horrible dreams;

  So to keep him awake they fed him with cake,

  Which amused that Old Person of Rheims.

  There was an Old Man of Leghorn

  There was an Old Man of Leghorn,

  The smallest that ever was born;

  But quickly snapt up he was once by a Puppy,

  Who devoured that Old Man of Leghorn.

  There was an Old Man in a pew

  There was an Old Man in a pew,

  Whose waistcoat was spotted with blue;

  But he tore it in pieces, to give to his Nieces,

  That cheerful Old Man in a pew.

  There was an Old Man of Jamaica

  There was an Old Man of Jamaica,

  Who suddenly married a Quaker;

  But she cried out, “Oh, lack! I have married a black!”

  Which distressed that Old Man of Jamaica.

  There was an Old Man who said, “How

  The
re was an Old Man who said, “How

  Shall I flee from this horrible Cow?

  I will sit on this stile, and continue to smile,

  Which may soften the heart of that Cow.”

  There was a Young Lady of Troy

  There was a Young Lady of Troy,

  Whom several large flies did annoy;

  Some she killed with a thump, some she drowned at the pump,

  And some she took with her to Troy.

  There was a Young Lady of Hull

  There was a Young Lady of Hull,

  Who was chased by a virulent Bull;

  But she seized on a spade, and called out, “Who’s afraid?”

  Which distracted that virulent Bull.

  There was an Old Person of Dutton

  There was an Old Person of Dutton,

  Whose head was as small as a button;

  So to make it look big he purchased a wig,

  And rapidly rushed about Dutton.

  There was an Old Man who said, “Hush!

  There was an Old Man who said, “Hush!

  I perceive a young bird in this bush!”

  When they said, “Is it small?” he replied, “Not at all;

  It is four times as big as the bush!”

  There was a Young Lady of Russia

  There was a Young Lady of Russia,

  Who screamed so that no one could hush her;

  Her screams were extreme, — no one heard such a scream

  As was screamed by that Lady of Russia.

  There was a Young Lady of Tyre

  There was a Young Lady of Tyre,

  Who swept the loud chords of a lyre;

  At the sound of each sweep she enraptured the deep,

  And enchanted the city of Tyre.

  There was an Old Person of Bangor

  There was an Old Person of Bangor,

  Whose face was distorted with anger;

  He tore off his boots, and subsisted on roots,

  That borascible Person of Bangor.

  There was an Old Man of the East

  There was an Old Man of the East,

  Who gave all his children a feast;

  But they all ate so much, and their conduct was such,

  That it killed that Old Man of the East.

  There was an Old Man of the Coast

  There was an Old Man of the Coast,

  Who placidly sat on a post;

  But when it was cold he relinquished his hold,

  And called for some hot buttered toast.

  There was an Old Man of Kamschatka

  There was an Old Man of Kamschatka,

  Who possessed a remarkably fat Cur;

  His gait and his waddle were held as a model

  To all the fat dogs in Kamschatka.

  There was an Old Person of Gretna

  There was an Old Person of Gretna,

  Who rushed down the crater of Etna;

  When they said, “Is it hot?” he replied, “No, it’s not!”

  That mendacious Old Person of Gretna.

  There was an Old Man with a beard

  There was an Old Man with a beard,

  Who sat on a Horse when he reared;

  But they said, “Never mind! you will fall off behind,

  You propitious Old Man with a beard!”

  There was an Old Man of Berlin

  There was an Old Man of Berlin,

  Whose form was uncommonly thin;

  Till he once, by mistake, was mixed up in a cake,

  So they baked that Old Man of Berlin.

  There was an Old Man of the West

  There was an Old Man of the West,

  Who never could get any rest;

  So they set him to spin on his nose and his chin,

  Which cured that Old Man of the West.

  There was an Old Person of Cheadle

  There was an Old Person of Cheadle

  Was put in the stocks by the Beadle

  For stealing some pigs, some coats, and some wigs,

  That horrible person of Cheadle.

  There was an Old Person of Anerley

  There was an Old Person of Anerley,

  Whose conduct was strange and unmannerly;

  He rushed down the Strand with a Pig in each hand,

  But returned in the evening to Anerley.

  There was a Young Lady of Wales

  There was a Young Lady of Wales,

  Who caught a large Fish without scales;

  When she lifted her hook, she exclaimed, “Only look!”

  That ecstatic Young Lady of Wales.

  There was a Young Lady of Welling

  There was a Young Lady of Welling,

  Whose praise all the world was a-telling;

  She played on the harp, and caught several Carp,

  That accomplished Young Lady of Welling.

  There was an Old Person of Tartary

  There was an Old Person of Tartary,

  Who divided his jugular artery;

  But he screeched to his Wife, and she said, “Oh, my life!

  Your death will be felt by all Tartary!”

  There was an Old Man of Whitehaven

  There was an Old Man of Whitehaven,

  Who danced a quadrille with a Raven;

  But they said, “It’s absurd to encourage this bird!”

  So they smashed that Old Man of Whitehaven.

  There was a Young Lady of Sweden

  There was a Young Lady of Sweden,

  Who went by the slow train to Weedon;

  When they cried, “Weedon Station!” she made no observation,

  But thought she should go back to Sweden.

  There was an Old Person of Chester

  There was an Old Person of Chester,

  Whom several small children did pester;

  They threw some large stones, which broke most of his bones,

  And displeased that Old Person of Chester.

  There was an Old Man of the Cape

  There was an Old Man of the Cape,

  Who possessed a large Barbary Ape;

  Till the Ape, one dark night, set the house all alight,

  Which burned that Old Man of the Cape.

  There was an Old Person of Burton

  There was an Old Person of Burton,

  Whose answers were rather uncertain;

  When they said, “How d’ ye do?” he replied, “Who are you?”

  That distressing Old Person of Burton.

  There was an Old Person of Ems

  There was an Old Person of Ems

  Who casually fell in the Thames;

  And when he was found, they said he was drowned,

  That unlucky Old Person of Ems.

  There was a Young Girl of Majorca

  There was a Young Girl of Majorca,

  Whose Aunt was a very fast walker;

  She walked seventy miles, and leaped fifteen stiles,

  Which astonished that Girl of Majorca.

  There was a Young Lady of Poole

  There was a Young Lady of Poole,

  Whose soup was excessively cool;

  So she put it to boil by the aid of some oil,

  That ingenious Young Lady of Poole.

  There was an Old Lady of Prague

  There was an Old Lady of Prague,

  Whose language was horribly vague;

  When they said, “Are these caps?” she answered, “Perhaps!”

  That oracular Lady of Prague.

  There was a Young Lady of Parma

  There was a Young Lady of Parma,

  Whose conduct grew calmer and calmer:

  When they said, “Are you dumb?” she merely said, “Hum!”

  That provoking Young Lady of Parma.

  There was an Old Person of Sparta

  There was an Old Person of Sparta,

  Who had twenty-five sons and one “darter;”

  He fed them on Snails, and weighed them in scales,

  That wonderful Person of Sparta.


  There was an Old Man on whose nose

  There was an Old Man on whose nose

  Most birds of the air could repose;

  But they all flew away at the closing of day,