Edward Lear

How pleasant to know Mr. Lear

How pleasant to know Mr. Lear, Who has written such volumes of stuff. Some think him ill-tempered and queer, But a few find him pleasant enough. His mind is concrete and fastidious, His nose

There was an old man of Thermopylж

There was an old man of Thermopylж, Who never did anything properly; But they said, “If you choose, To boil eggs in your shoes, You shall never remain in Thermopylж.”

The Courtship of the Yonghy-Bonghy-Bo

I On the Coast of Coromandel Where the early pumpkins blow, In the middle of the woods Lived the Yonghy-Bonghy-BС‚. Two old chairs, and half a candle, One old jug without a handle, These

The Table And The Chair

Said the table to the chair, “You can scarcely be aware How I suffer from the heat And from blisters on my feet! If we took a little walk We might have a little

There Was an Old Man in a Tree

There was an Old Man in a tree, Who was horribly bored by a bee. When they said “Does it buzz?” He replied “Yes, it does! It’s a regular brute of a bee!”

When awful darkness and silence reign Over the great Gromboolian plain, Through the long, long wintry nights; When the angry breakers roar As they beat on the rocky shore; When Storm-clouds brood on the

There was an old man on the Border

There was an old man on the Border, Who lived in the utmost disorder; He danced with the cat, and made tea in his hat, Which vexed all the folks on the Border.

The Two Old Bachelors

Two old Bachelors were living in one house; One caught a Muffin, the other caught a Mouse. Said he who caught the Muffin to him who caught the Mouse, – “This happens just in

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

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

The Pobble Who Has No Toes

The Pobble who has no toes Had once as many as we; When they said “Some day you may lose them all;” He replied “Fish, fiddle-de-dee!” And his Aunt Jobiska made him drink Lavender

There was a Young Lady Whose Eyes

There was a young lady whose eyes, Were unique as to colour and size; When she opened them wide, People all turned aside, And started away in surprise.

There was an Old Man of Calcutta

There was an old man of Calcutta, Who perpetually ate bread & butter; Till a great bit of muffin on which he was stuffing, Choked that horrid old man of Calcutta.

The Akond of Swat

Who, or why, or which, or what, Is the Akond of SWAT? Is he tall or short, or dark or fair? Does he sit on a stool or a sofa or a chair, or