Delphi Complete Poetical Works of Edward Lear Read online

  M

  M was a mill

  Which stood on a hill,

  And turned round and round

  With a loud hummy sound.

  m

  Useful old mill!

  N

  N was a net

  Which was thrown in the sea

  To catch fish for dinner

  For you and for me.

  n

  Nice little net!

  * * *

  O

  O was an orange

  So yellow and round:

  When it fell off the tree,

  It fell down to the ground.

  o

  Down to the ground!

  P

  P was a pig,

  Who was not very big;

  But his tail was too curly,

  And that made him surly.

  p

  Cross little pig!

  * * *

  Q

  Q was a quail

  With a very short tail;

  And he fed upon corn

  In the evening and morn.

  q

  Quaint little quail!

  R

  R was a rabbit,

  Who had a bad habit

  Of eating the flowers

  In gardens and bowers.

  r

  Naughty fat rabbit!

  * * *

  S

  S was the sugar-tongs,

  Nippity-nee,

  To take up the sugar

  To put in our tea.

  s

  Nippity-nee!

  T

  T was a tortoise,

  All yellow and black:

  He walked slowly away,

  And he never came back.

  t

  Torty never came back!

  * * *

  U

  U was an urn

  All polished and bright,

  And full of hot water

  At noon and at night.

  u

  Useful old urn!

  V

  V was a villa

  Which stood on a hill,

  By the side of a river,

  And close to a mill.

  v

  Nice little villa!

  * * *

  W

  W was a whale

  With a very long tail,

  Whose movements were frantic

  Across the Atlantic.

  w

  Monstrous old whale!

  X

  X was King Xerxes,

  Who, more than all Turks, is

  Renowned for his fashion

  Of fury and passion.

  x

  Angry old Xerxes!

  * * *

  Y

  Y was a yew,

  Which flourished and grew

  By a quiet abode

  Near the side of a road.

  y

  Dark little yew!

  Z

  Z was some zinc,

  So shiny and bright,

  Which caused you to wink

  In the sun’s merry light.

  z

  Beautiful zinc!

  ALPHABET II. (1871)

  A

  a

  A was once an apple-pie,

  Pidy, Widy, Tidy, Pidy, Nice insidy, Apple-pie!

  B

  b

  B was once a little bear,

  Beary, Wary, Hairy, Beary, Taky cary, Little bear!

  * * *

  C

  c

  C was once a little cake,

  Caky, Baky, Maky, Caky, Taky caky, Little cake!

  D

  d

  D was once a little doll,

  Dolly, Molly, Polly, Nolly, Nursy dolly, Little doll!

  * * *

  E

  e

  E was once a little eel,

  Eely, Weely, Peely, Eely, Twirly, tweely, Little eel!

  F

  f

  F was once a little fish,

  Fishy, Wishy, Squishy, Fishy, In a dishy, Little fish!

  * * *

  G

  g

  G was once a little goose,

  Goosy, Moosy, Boosey, Goosey, Waddly-woosy, Little goose!

  H

  h

  H was once a little hen,

  Henny, Chenny, Tenny, Henny. Eggsy-any, Little hen?

  * * *

  I

  i

  I was once a bottle of ink

  Inky, Dinky, Thinky, Inky, Blacky minky, Bottle of ink!

  J

  j

  J was once a jar of jam,

  Jammy, Mammy, Clammy, Jammy, Sweety, swammy, Jar of jam!

  K

  k

  K was once a little kite,

  Kity, Whity, Flighty, Kity, Out of sighty, Little kite!

  L

  l

  L was once a little lark,

  Larky, Marky, Harky, Larky, In the parky, Little lark!

  M

  m

  M was once a little mouse,

  Mousy, Bousy, Sousy, Mousy, In the housy, Little mouse!

  N

  n

  N was once a little needle,

  Needly, Tweedly, Threedly, Needly, Wisky, wheedly, Little needle!

  * * *

  O

  o

  O was once a little owl,

  Owly, Prowly, Howly, Owly, Browny fowly, Little owl!

  P

  p

  P was once a little pump,

  Pumpy, Slumpy, Flumpy, Pumpy, Dumpy, thumpy, Little pump!

  * * *

  Q

  q

  Q was once a little quail,

  Quaily, Faily, Daily, Quaily, Stumpy-taily, Little quail!

  R

  r

  R was once a little rose,

  Rosy, Posy, Nosy, Rosy, Blows-y, grows-y, Little rose!

  * * *

  S

  s

  S was once a little shrimp, Shrimpy, Nimpy, Flimpy, Shrimpy. Jumpy, jimpy, Little shrimp!

  T

  t

  T was once a little thrush,

  Thrushy, Hushy, Bushy, Thrushy, Flitty, flushy, Little thrush!

  * * *

  U

  u

  U was once a little urn,

  Urny, Burny, Turny, Urny, Bubbly, burny, Little urn!

  V

  v

  V was once a little vine,

  Viny, Winy, Twiny, Viny, Twisty-twiny, Little vine!

  * * *

  W

  w

  W was once a whale,

  Whaly, Scaly, Shaly, Whaly, Tumbly-taily, Mighty whale!

  X

  x

  X was once a great king Xerxes,

  Xerxy, Perxy, Turxy, Xerxy, Linxy, lurxy, Great King Xerxes!

  * * *

  Y

  y

  Y was once a little yew,

  Yewdy, Fewdy, Crudy, Yewdy, Growdy, grewdy, Little yew!

  Z

  z

  Z was once a piece of zinc,

  Tinky, Winky, Blinky, Tinky, Tinkly minky, Piece of zinc!

  ALPHABET III. (1871)

  A

  A was an ape,

  Who stole some white tape,

  And tied up his toes

  In four beautiful bows.

  a!

  Funny old Ape!

  B

  B was a bat,

  Who slept all the day,

  And fluttered about

  When the sun went away.

  b!

  Brown little bat!

  C

  C was a camel:

  You rode on his hump;

  And if you fell off,

  You came down such a bump!

  c!

  What a high camel!

  D

  D was a dove,

  Who lived in a wood,

  With such pretty soft wings,

  And so gentle and good!

  d!

  Dear little
Dove!

  * * *

  E

  E was an eagle,

  Who sat on the rocks,

  And looked down on the fields

  And the-far-away flocks.

  e!

  Beautiful eagle!

  F

  F was a fan

  Made of beautiful stuff;

  And when it was used,

  It went puffy-puff-puff!

  f!

  Nice little fan.

  G

  G was a gooseberry,

  Perfectly red;

  To be made into jam,

  And eaten with bread.

  g!

  Gooseberry red!

  H

  H was a heron,

  Who stood in a stream:

  The length of his neck

  And his legs was extreme.

  h!

  Long-legged Heron!

  I

  I was an inkstand,

  Which stood on a table,

  With a nice pen to write with

  When we are able.

  i!

  Neat little inkstand!

  J

  J was a jug,

  So pretty and white,

  With fresh water in it

  At morning and night.

  j!

  Nice little jug!

  K

  K was a kingfisher:

  Quickly he flew,

  So bright and so pretty! —

  Green, purple, and blue.

  k!

  Kingfisher, blue!

  L

  L was a lily,

  So white and so sweet!

  To see it and smell it

  Was quite a nice treat.

  l!

  Beautiful Lily!

  M

  M was a man,

  Who walked round and round;

  And he wore a long coat

  That came down to the ground.

  m!

  Funny old Man!

  N

  N was a nut

  So smooth and so brown!

  And when it was ripe,

  It fell tumble-dum-down.

  n!

  Nice little Nut!

  O

  O was an oyster,

  Who lived in his shell:

  If you let him alone,

  He felt perfectly well.

  o!

  Open-mouthed oyster!

  P

  P was a polly,

  All red, blue, and green, —

  The most beautiful polly

  That ever was seen.

  p!

  Poor little Polly!

  Q

  Q was a quill

  Made into a pen;

  But I do not know where,

  And I cannot say when.

  q!

  Nice little Quill!

  R

  R was a rattlesnake,

  Rolled up so tight,

  Those who saw him ran quickly,

  For fear he should bite.

  r!

  Rattlesnake bite!

  S

  S was a screw

  To screw down a box;

  And then it was fastened

  Without any locks.

  s!

  Valuable screw!

  T

  T was a thimble,

  Of silver so bright!

  When placed on the finger,

  It fitted so tight!

  t!

  Nice little thimble!

  U

  U was an upper-coat,

  Woolly and warm,

  To wear over all

  In the snow or the storm.

  u!

  What a nice upper-coat!

  V

  V was a veil

  With a border upon it,

  And a ribbon to tie it

  All round a pink bonnet.

  v!

  Pretty green Veil!

  W

  W was a watch,

  Where, in letters of gold,

  The hour of the day

  You might always behold.

  w!

  Beautiful watch!

  X

  X was King Xerxes,

  Who wore on his head A mighty large turban,

  Green, yellow, and red.

  x!

  Look at King Xerxes!

  Y

  Y was a yak,

  From the land of Thibet:

  Except his white tail,

  He was all black as jet.

  y!

  Look at the Yak!

  Z

  Z was a zebra,

  All striped white and black;

  And if he were tame,

  You might ride on his back.

  z!

  Pretty striped Zebra!

  MORE NONSENSE, PICTURES, RHYMES, BOTANY, ETC.

  CONTENTS

  INTRODUCTION.

  NONSENSE BOTANY.

  ONE HUNDRED NONSENSE PICTURES AND RHYMES.

  There was a young person of Bantry

  There was an Old Man at a Junction

  There was an old person of Minety

  There was an old man of Thermopylae

  There was an old person of Deal

  There was an old man on the Humber

  There was an old man in a barge

  There was an old man of Dunrose

  There was an old man of Toulouse

  There was an old person of Bree

  There was an old person of Bromley

  There was an old person of Shields

  There was an old man of Dunluce

  There was an old man of Dee-side

  There was an old person in black

  There was an old man of the Dargle

  There was an old person of Pinner

  There was an old person of China

  There was an old man in a Marsh

  There was an old person of Brill

  There was an old person of Wick

  There was an old man at a Station

  There was an old man of Three Bridges

  There was an old man of Hong Kong

  There was a young person in green

  There was an old person of Fife

  There was an old man who screamed out

  There was a young lady in white

  There was an old person of Slough

  There was an old person of Down

  There was a young person in red

  There was an old person of Hove

  There was a young person in pink

  There was an old lady of France

  There was an old person of Putney

  There was an old person of Loo

  There was an old person of Woking

  There was an old person of Dean

  There was a young lady in blue

  There was an old Man in a Garden

  There was an old person of Pisa

  There was an old person of Florence

  There was an old person of Sheen

  There was an old person of Ware

  There was a young person of Janina

  There was an old man of Cashmere

  There was an old person of Cassel

  There was an old person of Pett

  There was an old man of Spithead