Edward Lear: Poems about Poetry

I

She sate upon her Dobie,
To watch the Evening Star,
And all the Punkahs as they passed,
Cried, 'My! how fair you are!'
Around her bower, with quivering leaves,
The tall Kamsamahs grew,
And Kitmutgars in wild festoons
Hung down from Tchokis blue.


II

Below her home the river rolled
With soft meloobious sound,
Where golden-finned Chuprassies swam,
In myriads circling round.
Above, on talles trees remote
Green Ayahs perched alone,
And all night long the Mussak moan'd
Its melancholy tone.


III

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


IV

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


V

They sought in vain for even a bone
Respectfully to bury,--
They said, -- 'Hers was a dreadful fate!'
(And Echo answered 'Very.')
They nailed her Dobie to the wall,
Where last her form was seen,
And underneath they wrote these words,
In yellow, blue, and green:--

Beware, ye Fair! Ye Fair, beware!
Nor sit out late at night,--
Lest horrid Cummerbunds should come,
And swallow you outright.

A was once an ant,
Tiny,
Busy,
Speedy,
Shiny
In the groundy
Little ant!

A was once a little ant,
Antsy
Fantsy
Mantsy
Antsy,
Fa ntsy anty,
Little ant!

B was once a little bat,
Batsy,
Watsy,
Fatsy,
Batsy,
B umpy smacky
Little bat!

C was once a little cat,
Batty,
Catty,
Fatty,
Jatty,
F atty batty,
Little cat!

C was once a little cow,
Cowy,
Bowy,
Wowy,
Howy,
Powy cowy,
Little cow!

D was once a little dog,
Doggy,
Woggy,
Loggy,
Doggy,
F asty-runner,
Little doggy!

E was once the whole wide earth,
Earthy,
Mearthy,
Girthy,
It gave birthy
To this new earthy,
This whole wide earth!

G was once a little goat,
Goaty,
Woaty,
Foaty,
Goaty,
Baa, baa oaty,
Little goat!

H was once a little hawk,
Hawky,
Lawky,
Stawky,
Hawky,
Smawky hawky,
Little hawk!

I was once a little iguana,
Igy,
Wigy,
Ligy,
Igy,
Silly willy,
Little iguana!

J was once a little juke box,
Boxy,
Koxy,
Loxy,
Boxy,
Wide insidy,
Little juke box!

K was once a little kit,
Kitty,
Bitty,
Itty,
Witty,
Ic ky kitty,
Little kit!

L was once little lion,
Mindon,
Gion,
Bion,
Sighon
G ooey zion,
Little lion!

M is an 'm' you see,
Memmy,
Temmy,
Semmy,
Shemmy,
Now 'm' is a moose you see,
But she doesn't want to be!

O was once a little ox,
Oxy,
Woxy,
Foxy,
Noxy,
Run run oxy,
Little Ox!

P was once a plump old lady,
Plumpy,
Pumpy,
Tunky,
Wunky,
Plumpy pumpy,
Little old lady!

Q was once a little quail,
Quaily,
Scaly,
Whaly,
Quaily,< br>Paly quaily,
Little quail!

S was once a little snake,
Snakey,
Bakey,
Kakey,
Sakey,In a jungel,
Little snake!

T was once a little turtle,
Turtally,
Urtally,
Nurtally,
Turtally,
Murtally burtally,
Little turtle!

U was once a little unicorn,
Unicorny,
Tricorny,
Minocorny,< br>Unicorny,
In a barn,
Little unicorn!

V was once a little van,
Vanny,
Flanny,
Manny
Vanny,
D rive really fasty,
Little van!

W was once a little witch,
Witchy,
Twitchy,
Cwitchy,
Witc hy,
Fly real high,
Little witch!

X was once a little x-man,
Mexman,
Nexman,
Pexman,
Mexman ,
X-man has big claws,
Little x-man!

Y was once a little yarn,
Yarny,
Carny,
Larny,
Yarny,
Rolly yarny,
Little yarn!

Z was once a little zucchini,
Winey,
Tiney,
Liney,
Winey,
Tinky zinky,
Little letter z!