The streets were so bad,

And the lanes were so narrow,

I was forced to bring my wife home In a wheelbarrow.

The wheelbarrow broke,

And my wife had a fall, Down came wheelbarrow,

Little wife and all.

THE BABES IN THE WOOD

My dear, do you know

How a long time ago,

Two poor little children,

Whose names I don't know,

Were stolen away

On a fine summer's day,

And left in a wood,
As I've heard people say?

And when it was night,
So sad was their plight,

The sun it went down,
And the moon gave no light!
They sobbed, and they sighed,

And they bitterly cried,

And the poor little things
They lay down and died.

And when they were dead,

The robins so red

Brought strawberry-leaves

And over them spread;

And all the day long,

They sang them this song—

Poor babes in the wood!

Poor babes in the wood!

And don't you remember

The babes in the wood?

"Over the Water to Charley"

43

ROBIN REDBREAST

LITTLE Robin Redbreast sat upon a tree,
Up went pussy-cat, and down went he;
Down came pussy-cat, and away Robin ran;
Said little Robin Redbreast, "Catch me if you can."

Little Robin Redbreast jumped upon a wall,

Pussy-cat jumped after him, and almost got a fall;
Little Robin chirped and sang, and what did pussy say?
Pussy-cat said naught but "Mew," and Robin flew away.

SOLOMON GRUNDY

SOLOMON Grundy,

Born on a Monday,
Christened on Tuesday,
Married on Wednesday,
Took ill on Thursday,
Worse on Friday,
Died on Saturday,
Buried on Sunday,
This is the end of
Solomon Grundy.

"OVER THE WATER TO CHARLEY"

OVER the water, and over the sea,
And over the water to Charley;
Charley loves good ale and wine,
And Charley loves good brandy,
And Charley loves a little lass,
As sweet as sugar-candy.

Over the water, and over the sea,
And over the water to Charley;
I'll have none of your nasty beef,
Nor I'll have none of your barley;
But I'll have some of your very best flour,

To make a white cake for my Charley.

"WHEN GOOD KING ARTHUR RULED THIS LAND "

WHEN good King Arthur ruled this land,

He was a goodly king;

He stole three pecks of barley meal,

To make a bag-pudding.

A bag-pudding the king did make,
And stuffed it well with plums:
And in it put great lumps of fat,
As big as my two thumbs.

The king and queen did eat thereof,

And noblemen beside;

And what they could not eat that night,

The queen next morning fried.

"I HAD A LITTLE DOGGY"

I HAD a little Doggy that used to sit and beg;

But Doggy tumbled down the stairs and broke his little leg. Oh! Doggy, I will nurse you, and try to make you well, And you shall have a collar with a little silver bell.

Ah! Doggy, don't you think that you should very faith

ful be,

For having such a loving friend to comfort you as me?

And when your leg is better, and you can run and play, We'll have a scamper in the fields and see them making hay.

But, Doggy, you must promise (and mind your word you keep)

Not once to tease the little lambs, or run among the sheep; And then the little yellow chicks that play upon the grass, You must not even wag your tail to scare them as you pass.

"A FARMER WENT TROTTING"

A FARMER went trotting upon his gray mare;
Bumpety, bumpety, bump!

With his daughter behind him, so rosy and fair;
Lumpety, lumpety, lump!

The Cow

A raven cried croak! and they all tumbled down;
Bumpety, bumpety, bump!

The mare broke her knees, and the farmer his crown;
Lumpety, lumpety, lump!

The mischievous raven flew laughing away;

Bumpety, bumpety, bump!

And vowed he would serve them the same the next day; Lumpety, lumpety, lump!

45

"THE OWL AND THE EEL AND THE WARMING PAN"

THE Owl and the eel and the warming-pan,

They went to call on the soap-fat man.
The soap-fat man he was not within:
He'd gone for a ride on his rolling-pin.

So they all came back by the way of the town,
And turned the meeting-house upside down.

Laura E. Richards [1850

THE COW

THANK you, pretty cow, that made
Pleasant milk to soak my bread,

Every day, and every night,

Warm, and fresh, and sweet, and white.

Do not chew the hemlock rank,
Growing on the weedy bank;
But the yellow cowslips eat,
They will make it very sweet.

Where the purple violet grows,
Where the bubbling water flows,
Where the grass is fresh and fine,
Pretty cow, go there and dine.

Ann Taylor [1782-1866]

THE LAMB

LITTLE Lamb, who made thee?
Dost thou know who made thee,
Gave thee life, and bade thee feed
By the stream and o'er the mead;
Gave thee clothing of delight,
Softest clothing, woolly, bright;
Gave thee such a tender voice,
Making all the vales rejoice?

Little Lamb, who made thee?
Dost thou know who made thee?

Little Lamb, I'll tell thee,
Little Lamb, I'll tell thee;
He is called by thy name,
For He calls Himself a Lamb.
He is meek, and He is mild;
He became a little child.
I a child, and thou a lamb,
We are called by His name.

Little Lamb, God bless thee!
Little Lamb, God bless thee.

William Blake [1757-1827]

THE CLOCKING HEN

"WILL you take a walk with me,
My little wife to-day?
There's barley in the barley-fields,
And hay-seed in the hay."

"Thank you," said the clocking hen;

"I've something else to do;

I'm busy sitting on my eggs,

I cannot walk with you.

"Clock, clock, clock, clock,"

Said the clocking hen;

"My little chicks will soon be hatched, I'll think about it then."