Edward Lear

“ The Moon was shining slobaciously from the star-besprangled sky, while her light irrigated the smooth and shiny sides and wings and backs of the Blue-Bottle-Flies with a peculiar and trivial splendour, while all nature cheerfully responded to the cerulæan and conspicuous circumstances. ”

“ I.
alico Pie,
The little Birds fly
Down to the calico tree,
Their wings were blue,
And they sang 'Tilly-loo!'
Till away they flew,--
And they never came back to me!
They never came back!
They never came back! ”

“ For the sky is dark, and the voyage is long,
And happen what may, it's extremely wrong
⁠In a Sieve to sail so fast!"
⁠Far and few, far and few,
⁠Are the lands where the Jumblies live;
⁠Their heads are green, and their hands are blue,
⁠And they went to sea in a Sieve. ”

“ AID the Duck to the Kangaroo,
"Good gracious! how you hop!
Over the fields and the water too,
As if you never would stop!
My life is a bore in this nasty pond,
And I long to go out in the world beyond! ”

“ Quangle-Wangle sitting on his horn and holding on by his ears, and the Pussy-Cat swinging at the end of his tail, they set off, having only four small beans and three pounds of mashed potatoes to last through their whole journey.
They were, however, able to catch numbers of the chickens and turkeys and other birds who incessantly alighted on the head of the Rhinoceros for the purpose of gathering the seeds of the rhododendron plants which grew there, and these creatures they cooked in the most translucent and satisfactory manner, by means of a fire lighted on the end of the Rhinoceros' back. ”

“ THE HABITS OF THE SEVEN FAMILIES.
HE Parrots lived upon the Soffsky-Poffsky trees,—which were beautiful to behold, and covered with blue leaves,—and they fed upon fruit, artichokes, and striped beetles.
The Storks walked in and out of the Lake Pipple-popple, and ate frogs for breakfast and buttered taost for tea; but on account of the extreme length of their legs, they could not sit down, and so they walked about continually.
The Geese, having webs to their feet, caught quantities of flies, which they ate for dinner. ”

“ During the day-time, Violet chiefly occupied herself in putting salt-water into the churn, while her three brothers churned it violently, in the hope that it would turn into butter, which it seldom, if ever did; and in the evening they all retired into the Tea-kettle, where they all managed to sleep very comfortably, while Pussy and the Quangle-Wangle managed the boat. ”

“ And the old Geese said to the Seven young Geese, "Whatever you do, be sure you do not touch a Plum-pudding Flea."
And the old Owls said, "If you find a Mouse, tear him up into seven slices, and eat him cheerfully, but without quarrelling." ”

“ After sailing on calmly for several more days, they came to another country, where they were much pleased and sur-
prised to see a countless multitude of white Mice with red eyes, all sitting in a great circle, slowly eating Custard Pudding with the most satisfactory and polite demeanour. ”

“ Said the Chair to the Table,
"Now you know we are not able!
"How foolishly you talk,
"When you know we cannot walk!"
Said the Table with a sigh,
"It can do no harm to try;
"I've as many legs as you,
"Why can't we walk on two?" ”

“ Each took out a pony, and jumped on his back.
The Cat in a fright scrambled out of the doorway,
The Mice tumbled out of a bundle of hay,
The brown and white Rats, and the black ones from Norway,
Screamed out, "They are taking the horses away!" ”

“ Mr. Poker he sate quite upright in the coach,
Mr. Tongs made a clatter and clash,
Miss Shovel was all dressed in black (with a brooch) ,
Mrs. Broom was in blue (with a sash) .
Ding-a-dong! Ding-a-dong!
And they all sang a song!
II.
"O Shovel so lovely!" the Poker he sang,
"You have perfectly conquered my heart!
"Ding-a-dong! Ding-a-dong! If you're pleased with my song,
"I will feed you with cold apple tart!
"When you scrape up the coals with a delicate sound,
"You enrapture my life with delight!
"Your nose is so shiny! your head is so round! ”

“ And if ever you happen to go to Gramble-Blamble, and visit that museum in the city of Tosh, look for them on the Ninety-eighth table in the Four hundred and twenty-seventh room of the right-hand corridor of the left wing of the Central Quadrangle of that magnificent building; for if you do not, you certainly will not see them. ”

“ What a beautiful Pussy you are,
⁠You are,
⁠You are!
What a beautiful Pussy you are!"
II.
Pussy said to the Owl, "You elegant fowl!
⁠How charmingly sweet you sing!
O let us be married! too long we have tarried:
⁠But what shall we do for a ring?" ”

“ They said, "This is a dreadful thing!
The world has all gone wrong,
Since one has legs too short by half,
The other much too long!
One never more can go to court,
Because his legs have grown too short ”

“ WHO WENT ROUND THE WORLD.
nce upon a time, a long while ago, there were four little people whose names were
and they all thought they should like to see the world. So they bought a large boat to sail quite round the world by sea, and then they were to come back on the other side by land. The boat was painted blue with green spots, and the sail was yellow with red stripes; and when they set off, they only took a small Cat to steer and look after the boat, besides an elderly Quangle-Wangle, who had to cook dinner and make the tea; for which purposes they took a large kettle. ”

“ Their children cried, "O Ma and Pa!
"How truly beautiful you are!"
Said they, "We trust that cold or pain
"We shall never feel again!
"While, perched on tree, or house, or steeple,
"We now shall look like other people. ”

“ Now the Clangle-Wangle is a most dangerous and delusive beast, and by no means commonly to be met with. They live in the water as well as on land, using their long tail as a sail when in the former element. Their speed is extreme, but their habits of life are domestic and superfluous, and their general demeanour pensive and pellucid. ”

“ And they collected the Seven Feathers of the Seven young Parrots, and the Seven Bills of the Seven young Storks, and the Lettuce, and the Cherry, and having placed the latter on the Lettuce, and the other objects in a circular arrangement at their base, they danced a hornpipe round all these memorials until they were quite tired; after which they gave a tea-party, and a garden-party, and a ball, and a concert, and then returned to their respective homes full of joy and respect, sympathy, satis- faction, and disgust. ”

“ Each of these blue bottles contained a Blue-Bottle-Fly, and all of these interesting animals live continually together in the most copious and rural harmony, nor perhaps in many parts of the world is such perfect and abject happiness to be found. Violet, and Slingsby, and Guy, and Lionel, were greatly struck with this singular and instructive settlement, and having previously asked permission of the Blue-Bottle-Flies, (which was most courteously granted,) the boat was drawn up to the shore, and they proceeded to make
14 tea in front of the bottles ”

“ Presently they perceived, a long way off, an object of the most interesting and obese appearance, having a perfectly round body, exactly resembling a boiled plum-pudding, with two little wings, and a beak, and three feathers growing out of his head, and only one leg.
So after a time all the Seven young Geese said to each other, "Beyond all doubt this beast must be a Plum-pudding Flea!" ”

“ Without any saddle, or bridle, or spur?
"Our legs are so long, and so aptly constructed,
"I'm sure that an accident could not occur.
"Let us all of a sudden hop down from the table,
"And hustle downstairs, and each jump on a horse!
"Shall we try? Shall we go! Do you think we are able?"
The Sugar-tongs answered distinctly,"Of course!"
III.
So down the long staircase they hopped in a minute,
The Sugar-tongs snapped, and the Crackers said "crack!" ”

“ And instantly the Seven young Guinea Pigs rushed with such extreme force against the Lettuce-plant, and hit their heads so vividly against its stalk, that the concussion brought on directly an incipient transitional inflammation of their noses, which grew worse and worse and worse and worse till it incidentally killed them all Seven. ”