1
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 called aloud, "Our sieve ain"t big; But we don"t care a b.u.t.ton, 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.
2
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 ribbon, by way of a sail, To a small tobacco-pipe mast.
And everyone said who saw them go, "Oh! won"t they be soon upset, you know?
For the sky is dark, and the voyage 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.
3
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 pa.s.sed 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 are 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.
4
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 the coppery gong, In the shade of the mountains brown.
"O Timballoo! 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.
5
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 jackdaws, 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.
6
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.
[_Edward Lear_
THE YONGHY-BONGHY-BO
1
On the Coast of Coromandel Where the early pumpkins blow, In the middle of the woods Lived the Yonghy-Bonghy-Bo.
Two old chairs, and half a candle, One old jug without a handle,-- These were all his worldly goods: In the middle of the woods, These were all the worldly goods Of the Yonghy-Bonghy-Bo, Of the Yonghy-Bonghy-Bo.
2
Once, among the Bong-trees walking Where the early pumpkins blow, To a little heap of stones Came the Yonghy-Bonghy-Bo.
There he heard a Lady talking, To some milk-white Hens of Dorking,-- ""Tis the Lady Jingly Jones!
On that little heap of stones Sits the Lady Jingly Jones!"
Said the Yonghy-Bonghy-Bo, Said the Yonghy-Bonghy-Bo.
3
"Lady Jingly! Lady Jingly!
Sitting where the pumpkins blow, Will you come and be my wife?"
Said the Yonghy-Bonghy-Bo, "I am tired of living singly,-- On this coast so wild and shingly,--- I"m a-weary of my life; If you"ll come and be my wife, Quite serene would be my life!"
Said the Yonghy-Bonghy-Bo, Said the Yonghy-Bonghy-Bo.
4
"On this Coast of Coromandel Shrimps and watercresses grow, Prawns are plentiful and cheap,"
Said the Yonghy-Bonghy-Bo.
"You shall have my chairs and candle, And my jug without a handle!
Gaze upon the rolling deep (Fish is plentiful and cheap): As the sea, my love is deep!"
Said the Yonghy-Bonghy-Bo, Said the Yonghy-Bonghy-Bo.
5
Lady Jingly answered sadly, And her tears began to flow,-- "Your proposal comes too late, Mr. Yonghy-Bonghy-Bo!
I would be your wife most gladly!"
(Here she twirled her fingers madly,) "But in England I"ve a mate!
Yes! you"ve asked me far too late, For in England I"ve a mate, Mr. Yonghy-Bonghy-Bo!
Mr. Yonghy-Bonghy-Bo!
6
"Mr. Jones (his name is Handel,-- Handel Jones, Esquire & Co.) Dorking fowls delights to send, Mr. Yonghy-Bonghy-Bo!
Keep, oh, keep your chairs and candle, And your jug without a handle,-- I can merely be your friend!
Should my Jones more Dorkings send, I will give you three, my friend!
Mr. Yonghy-Bonghy-Bo!
Mr. Yonghy-Bonghy-Bo!
7
"Though you"ve such a tiny body, And your head so large doth grow,-- Though your hat may blow away, Mr. Yonghy-Bonghy-Bo!
Though you"re such a Hoddy Doddy, Yet I wish that I could modi- fy the words I needs must say!
Will you please to go away?
That is all I have to say, Mr. Yonghy-Bonghy-Bo!
Mr. Yonghy-Bonghy-Bo!"