Chapter I: Front Matter

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THE JUMBLIES
_AND OTHER NONSENSE VERSES_

_BY EDWARD LEAR_

_WITH DRAWINGS BY LESLIE BROOKE_

THE JUMBLIES AND OTHER NONSENSE VERSES
BY EDWARD LEAR
AUTHOR OF 'THE BOOK OF NONSENSE'

WITH DRAWINGS BY L. LESLIE BROOKE

FREDERICK WARNE AND CO LTD.
LONDON NEW YORK

INTRODUCTORY.

Encouraged by the cordial reception extended by Press and Public to their issue of the "Pelican Chorus and Other Nonsense Verses by Edward Lear," newly illustrated, the Publishers have requested the Artist, Mr. L. Leslie Brooke, to do a similar service for a further selection from Lear's Nonsense Songs, thus practically completing them. In addition to "The Jumblies," which has been adopted as the titular piece, this volume includes such prime favourites as "The Owl and the Pussy Cat," "The Duck and the Kangaroo," and "The Dong with a Luminous Nose." For the benefit of those whose memories of the Nonsense Songs are not as fresh as they should be, it may be repeated that Mr. Lear did not illustrate them as fully as was his custom; some, indeed, had no drawings at all, and others merely a headpiece. The Publishers feel, therefore, that in re-issuing the songs adequately illustrated, they are but bringing them into line with Mr. Lear's other works.

Oliver Wendell Holmes has said in a well-known poem, that--

"There is nothing that keeps its youth--
So far as I know--but a tree and truth."

He might have added certain writings; and among those that are as fresh to-day as when they were written are the Nonsense Books of Edward Lear. Several generations of children--old as well as young--have already "drunk delight" from them, and it is tolerably safe to prophesy that many editions will yet be demanded. But whatever new form the changing public taste may cause them to take, they will remain as fresh to the end as they are to-day. It was one of these books that John Ruskin declared to be "the most beneficent and innocent of all books yet produced." And of the author he said: "I really don't know any author to whom I am half so grateful for my idle self as Edward Lear." This is very high praise from such a source; and in the hope that similar pleasure may be given to many new readers this new edition of the Nonsense Songs is issued.

CONTENTS.

THE JUMBLIES.

THE OWL AND THE PUSSY-CAT.

THE BROOM, THE SHOVEL, THE POKER AND THE TONGS.

THE DUCK AND THE KANGAROO.

THE CUMMERBUND.

THE DONG WITH A LUMINOUS NOSE.

THE NEW VESTMENTS.

CALICO PIE.

THE COURTSHIP OF THE YONGHY-BONGHY-BO.

INCIDENTS IN THE LIFE OF MY UNCLE ARLY.

THE JUMBLIES.

I.

They went to sea in a Sieve, they did,
In a Sieve they went to sea:
In spite of all their friends could say,
On a winter's morn, on a stormy day,
In a Sieve they went to sea!
And when the Sieve turned round and round,
And every one cried, "You'll all be drowned!"
They cried aloud, "Our Sieve ain't big,
But we don't care a button, we don't care a fig!
In a Sieve we'll go to sea!"
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.

II.

They sailed away in a Sieve, they did,
In a Sieve they sailed so fast,
With only a beautiful pea-green veil
Tied with a riband, by way of a sail,
To a small tobacco-pipe mast;
And every one said, who saw them go,
"O won't they be soon upset, you know!
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.

III.

The water it soon came in, it did,
The water it soon came in;
So to keep them dry, they wrapped their feet
In a pinky paper all folded neat,
And they fastened it down with a pin.
And they passed the night in a crockery-jar,
And each of them said, "How wise we are!
Though the sky be dark, and the voyage be long,
Yet we never can think we were rash or wrong,
While round in our Sieve we spin!"
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.

IV.

And all night long they sailed away;
And when the sun went down,
They whistled and warbled a moony song
To the echoing sound of a coppery gong,
In the shade of the mountains brown.
"O Timballo! How happy we are,
When we live in a Sieve and a crockery-jar,
And all night long in the moonlight pale,
We sail away with a pea-green sail,
In the shade of the mountains brown!"
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.

V.

They sailed to the Western sea, they did,
To a land all covered with trees,
And they bought an Owl, and a useful Cart,
And a pound of Rice, and a Cranberry Tart,
And a hive of silvery Bees.
And they bought a Pig, and some green Jack-daws,
And a lovely Monkey with lollipop paws,
And forty bottles of Ring-Bo-Ree,
And no end of Stilton Cheese.
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.

VI.

And in twenty years they all came back,
In twenty years or more,
And every one said, "How tall they've grown!
For they've been to the Lakes, and the Torrible Zone,
And the hills of the Chankly Bore;"
And they drank their health, and gave them a feast
Of dumplings made of beautiful yeast;
And every one said, "If we only live,
We too will go to sea in a Sieve--
To the hills of the Chankly Bore!"
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.

THE OWL AND THE PUSSY-CAT.

I.

The Owl and the Pussy-Cat went to sea
In a beautiful pea-green boat,
They took some honey, and plenty of money,
Wrapped up in a five-pound note.
The Owl looked up to the stars above,
And sang to a small guitar,
"O lovely Pussy! O Pussy, my love,
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 sailed away for a year and a day,
To the land where the Bong-tree grows,
And there in a wood a Piggy-wig stood,
With a ring at the end of his nose.
His nose,
His nose,
With a ring at the end of his nose.

III.

"Dear Pig, are you willing to sell for one shilling
Your ring?" Said the Piggy, "I will."
So they took it away, and were married next day
By the Turkey who lives on the hill.
They dined on mince, and slices of quince,
Which they ate with a runcible spoon;
And hand in hand, on the edge of the sand,
They danced by the light of the moon,
The moon,
The moon,
They danced by the light of the moon.

THE BROOM, THE SHOVEL, THE POKER AND THE TONGS.

I.

The Broom and the Shovel, the Poker and Tongs,
They all took a drive in the Park,
And they each sang a song, Ding-a-dong! Ding-a-dong!
Before they went back in the dark.
Mr. Poker he sat quite upright in the coach,
Mr. Tongs made a clatter and clash,
Miss Shovel was dressed all 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 Shovely 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 your shape is so slender and bright!
"Ding-a-dong! Ding-a-dong!
"Ain't you pleased with my song?"

III.

"Alas! Mrs. Broom!" sighed the Tongs in his song,
"O is it because I'm so thin,
"And my legs are so long--Ding-a-dong! Ding-a-dong!
"That you don't care about me a pin?
"Ah! fairest of creatures, when sweeping the room,
"Ah! why don't you heed my complaint?
"Must you needs be so cruel, you beautiful Broom,
"Because you are covered with paint?
"Ding-a-dong! Ding-a-dong!
"You are certainly wrong!"

IV.

Mrs. Broom and Miss Shovel together they sang,
"What nonsense you're singing to-day!"
Said the Shovel, "I'll certainly hit you a bang!"
Said the Broom, "And I'll sweep you away!"
So the Coachman drove homeward as fast as he could,
Perceiving their anger with pain;
But they put on the kettle, and little by little
They all became happy again.
Ding-a-dong! Ding-a-dong!
There's an end of my song!

THE DUCK AND THE KANGAROO.

I.

Said 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!
I wish I could hop like you!"
Said the Duck to the Kangaroo.

II.

"Please give me a ride on your back!"
Said the Duck to the Kangaroo.
"I would sit quite still, and say nothing but 'Quack,'
The whole of the long day through!
And we'd go to the Dee, and the Jelly Bo Lee,
Over the land, and over the sea;--
Please take me a ride! O do!"
Said the Duck to the Kangaroo.

III.

Said the Kangaroo to the Duck,
"This requires some little reflection;
Perhaps on the whole it might bring me luck,
And there seems but one objection,
Which is, if you'll let me speak so bold,
Your feet are unpleasantly wet and cold,
And would probably give me the roo-
Matiz!" said the Kangaroo.

IV.

Said the Duck, "As I sat on the rocks,
I have thought over that completely,
And I bought four pairs of worsted socks
Which fit my web-feet neatly.
And to keep out the cold I've bought a cloak,
And every day a cigar I'll smoke,
All to follow my own dear true
Love of a Kangaroo!"

V.

Said the Kangaroo, "I'm ready!
All in the moonlight pale;
But to balance me well, dear Duck, sit steady!
And quite at the end of my tail!"
So away they went with a hop and a bound,
And they hopped the whole world three times round;
And who so happy,--O who,
As the Duck and the Kangaroo?

THE CUMMERBUND.

AN INDIAN POEM.

I.

She Sat Upon her Dobie,[1]
To watch the Evening Star,
And all the Punkahs[2] as they passed
Cried, "My! how fair you are!"
Around her bower, with quivering leaves,
The tall Kamsamahs[3] grew,
And Kitmutgars[4] in wild festoons
Hung down from Tchokis[5] blue.

II.

Below her home the river rolled
With soft meloobious sound,
Where golden-finned Chuprassies[6] swam,
In myriads circling round.
Above, on tallest trees remote,
Green Ayahs perched alone,
And all night long the Mussak[7] moaned
Its melancholy tone.

III.

And where the purple Nullahs[8] threw
Their branches far and wide,
And silvery Goreewallahs[9] flew
In silence, side by side,
The little Bheesties'[10] twittering cry
Rose on the fragrant air,
And oft the angry Jampan[11] howled
Deep in his hateful lair.

IV.

She sat upon her Dobie,--
She heard the Nimmak[12] hum,--
When all at once a cry arose:
"The Cummerbund[13] is come!"
In vain she fled;--with open jaws
The angry monster followed,
And so (before assistance came),
That Lady Fair was swallowed.