Chapter XIII: Of What Became of the Parents of the Forty-Nine Children

Edward Lear (1812–1888) · 1871

iambic trimeter · 397 lines · from Nonsense Songs

BUT when the two old Parrots,and the two old Storks,and the two old Geese,and the two old Owls,and the two old Guinea Pigs,and the two old Cats,and the two old Fishes,

A was an antWho seldom stood still,And who made a nice houseIn the side of a hill.

B was a bookWith a binding of blue,And pictures and storiesFor me and for you.

C was a catWho ran after a rat;But his courage did failWhen she seized on his tail.

C was once a little cake,Caky,Baky,Maky,Caky,Taky caky,Little cake!

C was a camel:You rode on his hump;And if you fell off,You came down such a bump!

D was a duckWith spots on his back,Who lived in the water,And always said "Quack!"

E was an elephant,Stately and wise:He had tusks and a trunk,And two queer little eyes.

F was a fishWho was caught in a net;But he got out again,And is quite alive yet.

G was a goatWho was spotted with brown:When he did not lie stillHe walked up and down.

H was a hatWhich was all on one side;Its crown was too high,And its brim was too wide.

I was some iceSo white and so nice,But which nobody tasted;And so it was wasted.

I was once a bottle of inkInky,Dinky,Thinky,Inky,Blacky minky,Bottle of ink!

I was an inkstand,Which stood on a table,With a nice pen to write withWhen we are able.

J was a jackdawWho hopped up and downIn the principal streetOf a neighboring town.

K was a kiteWhich flew out of sight,Above houses so high,Quite into the sky.

L was a lightWhich burned all the night,And lighted the gloomOf a very dark room.

L was once a little lark,Larky,Marky,Harky,Larky,In the parky,Little lark!

L was a lily,So white and so sweet!To see it and smell itWas quite a nice treat.

M was a millWhich stood on a hill,And turned round and roundWith a loud hummy sound.

N was a netWhich was thrown in the seaTo catch fish for dinnerFor you and for me.

O was an orangeSo yellow and round:When it fell off the tree,It fell down to the ground.

P was a pig,Who was not very big;But his tail was too curly,And that made him surly.

Q was a quailWith a very short tail;And he fed upon cornIn the evening and morn.

R was a rabbit,Who had a bad habitOf eating the flowersIn gardens and bowers.

S was the sugar-tongs,Nippity-nee,To take up the sugarTo put in our tea.

T was a tortoise,All yellow and black:He walked slowly away,And he never came back.

U was an urnAll polished and bright,And full of hot waterAt noon and at night.

V was a villaWhich stood on a hill,By the side of a river,And close to a mill.

V was once a little vine,Viny,Winy,Twiny,Viny,Twisty-twiny,Little vine!

V was a veilWith a border upon it,And a ribbon to tie itAll round a pink bonnet.

W was a whaleWith a very long tail,Whose movements were franticAcross the Atlantic.

X was King Xerxes,Who, more than all Turks, isRenowned for his fashionOf fury and passion.

X was once a great king Xerxes,Xerxy,Perxy,Turxy,Xerxy,Linxy, lurxy,Great King Xerxes!

X was King Xerxes,Who wore on his headA mighty large turban,Green, yellow, and red.

Y was a yew,Which flourished and grewBy a quiet abodeNear the side of a road.

Z was some zinc,So shiny and bright,Which caused you to winkIn the sun's merry light.

A was once an apple-pie,Pidy,Widy,Tidy,Pidy,Nice insidy,Apple-pie!

B was once a little bear,Beary,Wary,Hairy,Beary,Taky cary,Little bear!

D was once a little doll,Dolly,Molly,Polly,Nolly,Nursy dolly,Little doll!

E was once a little eel,Eely,Weely,Peely,Eely,Twirly, tweely,Little eel!

F was once a little fish,Fishy,Wishy,Squishy,Fishy,In a dishy,Little fish!

G was once a little goose,Goosy,Moosy,Boosey,Goosey,Waddly-woosy,Little goose!

H was once a little hen,Henny,Chenny,Tenny,Henny.Eggsy-any,Little hen?

J was once a jar of jam,Jammy,Mammy,Clammy,Jammy,Sweety, swammy,Jar of jam!

K was once a little kite,Kity,Whity,Flighty,Kity,Out of sighty,Little kite!

M was once a little mouse,Mousy,Bousy,Sousy,Mousy,In the housy,Little mouse!

N was once a little needle,Needly,Tweedly,Threedly,Needly,Wisky, wheedly,Little needle!

O was once a little owl,Owly,Prowly,Howly,Owly,Browny fowly,Little owl!

P was once a little pump,Pumpy,Slumpy,Flumpy,Pumpy,Dumpy, thumpy,Little pump!

Q was once a little quail,Quaily,Faily,Daily,Quaily,Stumpy-taily,Little quail!

R was once a little rose,Rosy,Posy,Nosy,Rosy,Blows-y, grows-y,Little rose!

S was once a little shrimp,Shrimpy,Nimpy,Flimpy,Shrimpy.Jumpy, jimpy,Little shrimp!

T was once a little thrush,Thrushy,Hushy,Bushy,Thrushy,Flitty, flushy,Little thrush!

U was once a little urn,Urny,Burny,Turny,Urny,Bubbly, burny,Little urn!

W was once a whale,Whaly,Scaly,Shaly,Whaly,Tumbly-taily,Mighty whale!

Y was once a little yew,Yewdy,Fewdy,Crudy,Yewdy,Growdy, grewdy,Little yew!

Z was once a piece of zinc,Tinky,Winky,Blinky,Tinky,Tinkly minky,Piece of zinc!

A was an ape,Who stole some white tape,And tied up his toesIn four beautiful bows.

B was a bat,Who slept all the day,And fluttered aboutWhen the sun went away.

D was a dove,Who lived in a wood,With such pretty soft wings,And so gentle and good!

E was an eagle,Who sat on the rocks,And looked down on the fieldsAnd the-far-away flocks.

F was a fanMade of beautiful stuff;And when it was used,It went puffy-puff-puff!

G was a gooseberry,Perfectly red;To be made into jam,And eaten with bread.

H was a heron,Who stood in a stream:The length of his neckAnd his legs was extreme.

J was a jug,So pretty and white,With fresh water in itAt morning and night.

K was a kingfisher:Quickly he flew,So bright and so pretty!--Green, purple, and blue.

M was a man,Who walked round and round;And he wore a long coatThat came down to the ground.

N was a nutSo smooth and so brown!And when it was ripe,It fell tumble-dum-down.

O was an oyster,Who lived in his shell:If you let him alone,He felt perfectly well.

P was a polly,All red, blue, and green,--The most beautiful pollyThat ever was seen.

Q was a quillMade into a pen;But I do not know where,And I cannot say when.

R was a rattlesnake,Rolled up so tight,Those who saw him ran quickly,For fear he should bite.

S was a screwTo screw down a box;And then it was fastenedWithout any locks.

T was a thimble,Of silver so bright!When placed on the finger,It fitted so tight!

U was an upper-coat,Woolly and warm,To wear over allIn the snow or the storm.

W was a watch,Where, in letters of gold,The hour of the dayYou might always behold.

Y was a yak,From the land of Thibet:Except his white tail,He was all black as jet.

Z was a zebra,All striped white and black;And if he were tame,You might ride on his back.

Words in this poem 34

rode n.: Redness; complexion. [See Rud.]
bump v. t.: To strike, as with or against anything large or solid; to thump; as, to bump the head against a wall. [Cf. W. pwmp round mass, pwmpiaw to thump, bang, and E. bum, v.i., boom to roar.]
nobody n.: No person; no one; not anybody. [No, a. + body.]
inkstand n.: A small vessel for holding ink, to dip the pen into; also, a device for holding ink and writing materials.
hopped p. a.: Impregnated with hops.
surly a.: Arrogant; haughty. Cotgrave. [Probably from sir, and originally meaning, sirlike, i.e., proud. See Sir, and Like, a.]
morn n.: The first part of the day; the morning; -- used chiefly in poetry. [OE. morwen, morgen, AS. morgen; akin to D. morgen, OS. morgan, G. morgen, Icel. morginn, morgunn, Sw. morgon, Dan. morgen, Goth. maúrgins. Cf. Morrow, Morning.]
villa n.: A country seat; a country or suburban residence of some pretensions to elegance. Dryden. [L. villa, LL. also village, dim. of L. vicus a village: cf. It. & F. villa. See Vicinity, and cf. Vill, Village, Villain.]
viny a.: Of or pertaining to vines; producing, or abounding in, vines.
winy a.: Having the taste or qualities of wine; vinous; as, grapes of a winy taste. Dampier.
abode n.: Act of waiting; delay. [OE. abad, abood, fr. abiden to abide. See Abide. For the change of vowel, cf. abode, imp. of abide.]
shiny a.: Bright; luminous; clear; unclouded.
dolly n.: A contrivance, turning on a vertical axis by a handle or winch, and giving a circular motion to the ore to be washed; a stirrer.
molly n.: A pet or colloquial name for Mary. Molly cottontail. (Zoöl.) See Cottontail.
polly n.: A woman's name; also, a popular name for a parrot.
weely: A kind of trap or snare for fish, made of twigs. Carew. [Prov. E. weel, weal, a wicker basket to catch eels; prob. akin to willow, and so called as made of willow twigs.]
fishy a.: Consisting of fish; fishlike; having the qualities or taste of fish; abounding in fish.
mammy n.: A child's name for mamma, mother.
mousy a.: Infested with mice; smelling of mice.
bousy a.: Drunken; sotted; boozy.
needly adv.: Necessarily; of necessity. hak. [AS. n. See Need.]
browny a.: Brown or, somewhat brown.
slumpy a.: Easily broken through; boggy; marshy; swampy. Bartlett.
dumpy a.: From Dump a short ill-shapen piece.
quaily n.: The upland plover. [Canadian] [Cf. Quail the bird.]
posy n.: A brief poetical sentiment; hence, any brief sentiment, motto, or legend; especially, one inscribed on a ring. [Contr. fr. poesy.]
shrimp v. t.: To contract; to shrink. [Cf. AS. scrimman to dry up, wither, MHG. schrimpfen to shrink, G. schrumpfen, Dan. skrumpe, skrumpes, Da. & Sw. skrumpen shriveled. Cf. Scrimp, Shrink, Shrivel.]
jumpy a.: Jumping, or inducing to jump; characterized by jumps; hence, extremely nervous.
flitty a.: Unstable; fluttering. Dr. H. More. [From Flit.]
bubbly a.: Abounding in bubbles; bubbling. Nash.
shaly a.: Resembling shale in structure.
crudy a.: Characterized by crudeness; raw. [From Crude.]
stole n.: A long, loose garment reaching to the feet. [AS. stole, L. stola, Gr. stall. See Stall.]
went n.: Course; way; path; journey; direction.

Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.

About this text

Chapter XIII: Of What Became of the Parents of the Forty-Nine Children is in the public domain. This text is taken from Nonsense Songs, Project Gutenberg ebook #13647; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.

Cite as: Edward Lear, Chapter XIII: Of What Became of the Parents of the Forty-Nine Children, in Nonsense Songs (1871), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #13647, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/lear-nonsense-songs/chapter-xiii-of-what-became-of-the-parents-of-the-forty-nine.html, id L16738.

Form and metre

Chapter XIII: Of What Became of the Parents of the Forty-Nine Children is 397 lines in 79 stanzas. The metre is iambic trimeter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 81%). 97% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 4.4 syllables. 95 lines end on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 15% of the lines run on without a stop at the line end.

See other poems in iambic trimeter.

Measured by Laurel's pipeline, not copied from a handbook: how stress and metre are counted, how rhyme is lettered, how a drifted rhyme is found. Where the dictionary cannot confirm a rhyme the letter is withheld, not guessed.

Rhyme words, stanza by stanza

The word that ends each line, lettered by the rhyme it makes; a dash is a line whose rhyme the dictionary could not confirm.

2 -A-A ant · still^A · house · hill^A
3 -A-A book · blue^A · stories · you^A
4 AABB cat^A · rat^A · fail^B · tail^B
5 ABBBBBA cake^A · caky^B · baky^B · maky^B · caky^B · caky^B · cake^A
6 -A-A camel · hump^A · off · bump^A
7 -A-A duck · back^A · water · quack^A
8 -A-A elephant · wise^A · trunk · eyes^A
9 -A-A fish · net^A · again · yet^A
10 -A-A goat · brown^A · still · down^A
11 -A-A hat · side^A · high · wide^A
12 AABB ice^A · nice^A · tasted^B · wasted^B
13 ABBBBBA ink^A · inky^B · dinky^B · thinky^B · inky^B · minky^B · ink^A
14 -A-A inkstand · table^A · with · able^A
15 -A-A jackdaw · down^A · street · town^A
16 AABB kite^A · sight^A · high^B · sky^B
17 AABB light^A · night^A · gloom^B · room^B
18 ABBBBBA lark^A · larky^B · marky^B · harky^B · larky^B · parky^B · lark^A
19 -A-A lily · sweet^A · it · treat^A
20 AABB mill^A · hill^A · round^B · sound^B
21 -A-A net · sea^A · dinner · me^A
22 -A-A orange · round^A · tree · ground^A
23 AABB pig^A · big^A · curly^B · surly^B
24 AABB quail^A · tail^A · corn^B · morn^B
25 AABB rabbit^A · habit^A · flowers^B · bowers^B
26 -A-A tongs · nee^A · sugar · tea^A
27 -A-A tortoise · black^A · away · back^A
28 -A-A urn · bright^A · water · night^A
29 -A-A villa · hill^A · river · mill^A
30 ABBBBBA vine^A · viny^B · winy^B · twiny^B · viny^B · twiny^B · vine^A
31 -AAA veil · it^A · it^A · bonnet^A
32 AABB whale^A · tail^A · frantic^B · atlantic^B
33 AABB xerxes^A · is^A · fashion^B · passion^B
34 AB--B-A xerxes^A · xerxy^B · perxy · turxy · xerxy^B · lurxy · xerxes^A
35 -A-A xerxes · head^A · turban · red^A
36 AABB yew^A · grew^A · abode^B · road^B
37 ABAB zinc^A · bright^B · wink^A · light^B
38 ABB-B-A pie^A · pidy^B · widy^B · tidy · pidy^B · insidy · pie^A
39 ABCCBCA bear^A · beary^B · wary^C · hairy^C · beary^B · cary^C · bear^A
40 ABBB-BA doll^A · dolly^B · molly^B · polly^B · nolly · dolly^B · doll^A
41 ABBBBBA eel^A · eely^B · weely^B · peely^B · eely^B · tweely^B · eel^A
42 ABBBBBA fish^A · fishy^B · wishy^B · squishy^B · fishy^B · dishy^B · fish^A
43 ABBCCBA goose^A · goosy^B · moosy^B · boosey^C · goosey^C · woosy^B · goose^A
44 ABBBBBA hen^A · henny^B · chenny^B · tenny^B · henny^B · any^B · hen^A
45 ABBBBBA jam^A · jammy^B · mammy^B · clammy^B · jammy^B · swammy^B · jam^A
46 ABBCBCA kite^A · kity^B · whity^B · flighty^C · kity^B · sighty^C · kite^A
47 ABCCBCA mouse^A · mousy^B · bousy^C · sousy^C · mousy^B · housy^C · mouse^A
48 ABBBBBA needle^A · needly^B · tweedly^B · threedly^B · needly^B · wheedly^B · needle^A
49 AB-BBBA owl^A · owly^B · prowly · howly^B · owly^B · fowly^B · owl^A
50 ABBBBBA pump^A · pumpy^B · slumpy^B · flumpy^B · pumpy^B · thumpy^B · pump^A
51 ABBBBBA quail^A · quaily^B · faily^B · daily^B · quaily^B · taily^B · quail^A
52 ABBBB-A rose^A · rosy^B · posy^B · nosy^B · rosy^B · y · rose^A
53 ABBBBBA shrimp^A · shrimpy^B · nimpy^B · flimpy^B · shrimpy^B · jimpy^B · shrimp^A
54 ABCCBCA thrush^A · thrushy^B · hushy^C · bushy^C · thrushy^B · flushy^C · thrush^A
55 ABBBBBA urn^A · urny^B · burny^B · turny^B · urny^B · burny^B · urn^A
56 AB-BB-A whale^A · whaly^B · scaly · shaly^B · whaly^B · taily · whale^A
57 ABB-BBA yew^A · yewdy^B · fewdy^B · crudy · yewdy^B · grewdy^B · yew^A
58 ABBBBBA zinc^A · tinky^B · winky^B · blinky^B · tinky^B · minky^B · zinc^A
59 AABB ape^A · tape^A · toes^B · bows^B
60 -A-A bat · day^A · about · away^A
61 -A-A dove · wood^A · wings · good^A
62 -A-A eagle · rocks^A · fields · flocks^A
63 -A-A fan · stuff^A · used · puff^A
64 -A-A gooseberry · red^A · jam · bread^A
65 -A-A heron · stream^A · neck · extreme^A
66 -A-A jug · white^A · it · night^A
67 -A-A kingfisher · flew^A · pretty · blue^A
68 -A-A man · round^A · coat · ground^A
69 -A-A nut · brown^A · ripe · down^A
70 -A-A oyster · shell^A · alone · well^A
71 ABAB polly^A · green^B · polly^A · seen^B
72 -A-A quill · pen^A · where · when^A
73 -A-A rattlesnake · tight^A · quickly · bite^A
74 -A-A screw · box^A · fastened · locks^A
75 -A-A thimble · bright^A · finger · tight^A
76 -A-A coat · warm^A · all · storm^A
77 -A-A watch · gold^A · day · behold^A
78 -A-A yak · thibet^A · tail · jet^A
79 -A-A zebra · black^A · tame · back^A

Scansion, line by line

Each line with its syllable count and the stresses the words themselves fix: / stressed, ˘ unstressed, · a syllable the word leaves free and the metre decides. Read against iambic trimeter. How this is done.

Line	Syl.	Stress
BUT when the two old Parrots,	7	·····/˘
and the two old Storks,	5	·····
and the two old Geese,	5	·····
and the two old Owls,	5	·····
and the two old Guinea Pigs,	7	····/˘·
and the two old Cats,	5	·····
and the two old Fishes,	6	····/˘
A was an ant	4	····
Who seldom stood still,	5	·/˘··
And who made a nice house	6	······
In the side of a hill.	6	······
B was a book	4	····
With a binding of blue,	6	··/˘··
And pictures and stories	6	·/˘·/˘
For me and for you.	5	·····
C was a cat	4	····
Who ran after a rat;	6	······
But his courage did fail	6	··/˘··
When she seized on his tail.	6	······
C was once a little cake,	7	····/˘·
Caky,	2	··
Baky,	2	··
Maky,	2	··
Caky,	2	··
Taky caky,	4	····
Little cake!	3	/˘·
C was a camel:	5	···/˘
You rode on his hump;	5	·····
And if you fell off,	5	·····
You came down such a bump!	6	······
D was a duck	4	····
With spots on his back,	5	·····
Who lived in the water,	6	····/˘
And always said "Quack!"	5	·/···
E was an elephant,	6	···/˘˘
Stately and wise:	4	/˘··
He had tusks and a trunk,	6	······
And two queer little eyes.	6	···/˘·
F was a fish	4	····
Who was caught in a net;	6	······
But he got out again,	6	····˘/
And is quite alive yet.	6	···˘/·
G was a goat	4	····
Who was spotted with brown:	6	··/˘··
When he did not lie still	6	······
He walked up and down.	6	··˘···
H was a hat	4	····
Which was all on one side;	6	······
Its crown was too high,	5	·····
And its brim was too wide.	6	······
I was some ice	4	····
So white and so nice,	5	·····
But which nobody tasted;	7	··/··/˘
And so it was wasted.	6	····/˘
I was once a bottle of ink	8	····/˘··
Inky,	2	/˘
Dinky,	2	/˘
Thinky,	2	··
Inky,	2	/˘
Blacky minky,	4	····
Bottle of ink!	4	/˘··
I was an inkstand,	5	···/˘
Which stood on a table,	6	····/˘
With a nice pen to write with	7	·······
When we are able.	5	···/˘
J was a jackdaw	5	···/˘
Who hopped up and down	6	··˘···
In the principal street	6	··/˘˘·
Of a neighboring town.	6	··/˘˘·
K was a kite	4	····
Which flew out of sight,	5	·····
Above houses so high,	6	··/˘··
Quite into the sky.	5	·····
L was a light	4	····
Which burned all the night,	6	··˘···
And lighted the gloom	5	·/˘··
Of a very dark room.	6	··/˘··
L was once a little lark,	7	····/˘·
Larky,	2	··
Marky,	2	/˘
Harky,	2	··
Larky,	2	··
In the parky,	4	····
Little lark!	3	/˘·
L was a lily,	5	···/˘
So white and so sweet!	5	·····
To see it and smell it	6	······
Was quite a nice treat.	5	·····
M was a mill	4	····
Which stood on a hill,	5	·····
And turned round and round	6	··˘···
With a loud hummy sound.	6	······
N was a net	4	····
Which was thrown in the sea	6	······
To catch fish for dinner	6	····/˘
For you and for me.	5	·····
O was an orange	5	···/˘
So yellow and round:	5	·/˘··
When it fell off the tree,	6	······
It fell down to the ground.	6	······
P was a pig,	4	····
Who was not very big;	6	···/˘·
But his tail was too curly,	7	·····/˘
And that made him surly.	6	····/˘
Q was a quail	4	····
With a very short tail;	6	··/˘··
And he fed upon corn	6	······
In the evening and morn.	6	··/˘··
R was a rabbit,	5	···/˘
Who had a bad habit	6	····/˘
Of eating the flowers	6	·/˘·/˘
In gardens and bowers.	6	·/˘·/˘
S was the sugar-tongs,	6	···/˘·
Nippity-nee,	4	····
To take up the sugar	6	····/˘
To put in our tea.	6	···/˘·
T was a tortoise,	5	···/˘
All yellow and black:	5	·/˘··
He walked slowly away,	6	··/˘˘/
And he never came back.	6	··/˘··
U was an urn	4	····
All polished and bright,	6	·/˘˘··
And full of hot water	6	····/˘
At noon and at night.	5	·····
V was a villa	5	···/˘
Which stood on a hill,	5	·····
By the side of a river,	7	·····/˘
And close to a mill.	5	·····
V was once a little vine,	7	····/˘·
Viny,	2	/˘
Winy,	2	/˘
Twiny,	2	··
Viny,	2	/˘
Twisty-twiny,	4	/˘··
Little vine!	3	/˘·
V was a veil	4	····
With a border upon it,	7	··/˘···
And a ribbon to tie it	7	··/˘···
All round a pink bonnet.	6	····/˘
W was a whale	6	/˘˘···
With a very long tail,	6	··/˘··
Whose movements were frantic	6	·/˘·/˘
Across the Atlantic.	6	˘/·˘/˘
X was King Xerxes,	5	···/˘
Who, more than all Turks, is	6	······
Renowned for his fashion	6	˘/··/˘
Of fury and passion.	6	·/˘·/˘
X was once a great king Xerxes,	8	······/˘
Xerxy,	2	··
Perxy,	2	··
Turxy,	2	··
Xerxy,	2	··
Linxy, lurxy,	4	····
Great King Xerxes!	4	··/˘
X was King Xerxes,	5	···/˘
Who wore on his head	5	·····
A mighty large turban,	6	·/˘·/˘
Green, yellow, and red.	5	·/˘··
Y was a yew,	4	····
Which flourished and grew	6	·/˘˘··
By a quiet abode	6	··/˘˘/
Near the side of a road.	6	······
Z was some zinc,	4	····
So shiny and bright,	5	·/˘··
Which caused you to wink	6	··˘···
In the sun's merry light.	6	···/˘·
A was once an apple-pie,	7	····/˘·
Pidy,	2	··
Widy,	2	··
Tidy,	2	/˘
Pidy,	2	··
Nice insidy,	4	····
Apple-pie!	3	/˘·
B was once a little bear,	7	····/˘·
Beary,	2	/˘
Wary,	2	/˘
Hairy,	2	/˘
Beary,	2	/˘
Taky cary,	4	··/˘
Little bear!	3	/˘·
D was once a little doll,	7	····/˘·
Dolly,	2	/˘
Molly,	2	/˘
Polly,	2	/˘
Nolly,	2	··
Nursy dolly,	4	··/˘
Little doll!	3	/˘·
E was once a little eel,	7	····/˘·
Eely,	2	··
Weely,	2	··
Peely,	2	··
Eely,	2	··
Twirly, tweely,	4	····
Little eel!	3	/˘·
F was once a little fish,	7	····/˘·
Fishy,	2	/˘
Wishy,	2	/˘
Squishy,	2	/˘
Fishy,	2	/˘
In a dishy,	4	····
Little fish!	3	/˘·
G was once a little goose,	7	····/˘·
Goosy,	2	··
Moosy,	2	··
Boosey,	2	··
Goosey,	2	/˘
Waddly-woosy,	4	··/˘
Little goose!	3	/˘·
H was once a little hen,	7	····/˘·
Henny,	2	··
Chenny,	2	··
Tenny,	2	/˘
Henny.	2	··
Eggsy-any,	4	··/˘
Little hen?	3	/˘·
J was once a jar of jam,	7	·······
Jammy,	2	··
Mammy,	2	/˘
Clammy,	2	/˘
Jammy,	2	··
Sweety, swammy,	4	····
Jar of jam!	3	···
K was once a little kite,	7	····/˘·
Kity,	2	··
Whity,	2	··
Flighty,	2	/˘
Kity,	2	··
Out of sighty,	4	····
Little kite!	3	/˘·
M was once a little mouse,	7	····/˘·
Mousy,	2	/˘
Bousy,	2	··
Sousy,	2	··
Mousy,	2	/˘
In the housy,	4	····
Little mouse!	3	/˘·
N was once a little needle,	8	····/˘/˘
Needly,	2	/˘
Tweedly,	2	··
Threedly,	2	··
Needly,	2	/˘
Wisky, wheedly,	4	····
Little needle!	4	/˘/˘
O was once a little owl,	7	····/˘·
Owly,	2	··
Prowly,	2	··
Howly,	2	··
Owly,	2	··
Browny fowly,	4	/˘··
Little owl!	3	/˘·
P was once a little pump,	7	····/˘·
Pumpy,	2	··
Slumpy,	2	/˘
Flumpy,	2	··
Pumpy,	2	··
Dumpy, thumpy,	4	/˘··
Little pump!	3	/˘·
Q was once a little quail,	7	····/˘·
Quaily,	2	/˘
Faily,	2	··
Daily,	2	/˘
Quaily,	2	/˘
Stumpy-taily,	4	/˘··
Little quail!	3	/˘·
R was once a little rose,	7	····/˘·
Rosy,	2	/˘
Posy,	2	/˘
Nosy,	2	/˘
Rosy,	2	/˘
Blows-y, grows-y,	4	····
Little rose!	3	/˘·
S was once a little shrimp,	7	····/˘·
Shrimpy,	2	··
Nimpy,	2	··
Flimpy,	2	··
Shrimpy.	2	··
Jumpy, jimpy,	4	/˘··
Little shrimp!	3	/˘·
T was once a little thrush,	7	····/˘·
Thrushy,	2	··
Hushy,	2	··
Bushy,	2	/˘
Thrushy,	2	··
Flitty, flushy,	4	/˘··
Little thrush!	3	/˘·
U was once a little urn,	7	····/˘·
Urny,	2	··
Burny,	2	··
Turny,	2	··
Urny,	2	··
Bubbly, burny,	4	/˘··
Little urn!	3	/˘·
W was once a whale,	6	/˘····
Whaly,	2	··
Scaly,	2	/˘
Shaly,	2	/˘
Whaly,	2	··
Tumbly-taily,	4	····
Mighty whale!	3	/˘·
Y was once a little yew,	7	····/˘·
Yewdy,	2	··
Fewdy,	2	··
Crudy,	2	/˘
Yewdy,	2	··
Growdy, grewdy,	4	····
Little yew!	3	/˘·
Z was once a piece of zinc,	7	·······
Tinky,	2	··
Winky,	2	··
Blinky,	2	··
Tinky,	2	··
Tinkly minky,	4	····
Piece of zinc!	3	···
A was an ape,	4	····
Who stole some white tape,	5	·····
And tied up his toes	5	·····
In four beautiful bows.	6	··/˘˘·
B was a bat,	4	····
Who slept all the day,	5	·····
And fluttered about	6	·/˘˘··
When the sun went away.	6	····˘/
D was a dove,	4	····
Who lived in a wood,	6	··˘···
With such pretty soft wings,	6	··/˘··
And so gentle and good!	6	··/˘··
E was an eagle,	5	···/˘
Who sat on the rocks,	5	·····
And looked down on the fields	6	······
And the-far-away flocks.	6	···˘/·
F was a fan	4	····
Made of beautiful stuff;	6	··/˘˘·
And when it was used,	5	·····
It went puffy-puff-puff!	6	··/˘··
G was a gooseberry,	6	···/·˘
Perfectly red;	4	/˘˘·
To be made into jam,	6	······
And eaten with bread.	5	·/˘··
H was a heron,	5	···/˘
Who stood in a stream:	5	·····
The length of his neck	5	·····
And his legs was extreme.	6	····˘/
J was a jug,	4	····
So pretty and white,	5	·/˘··
With fresh water in it	6	··/˘··
At morning and night.	5	·/˘··
K was a kingfisher:	6	···/·˘
Quickly he flew,	4	/˘··
So bright and so pretty!--	6	····/˘
Green, purple, and blue.	5	·/˘··
M was a man,	4	····
Who walked round and round;	6	··˘···
And he wore a long coat	6	······
That came down to the ground.	6	······
N was a nut	4	····
So smooth and so brown!	5	·····
And when it was ripe,	5	·····
It fell tumble-dum-down.	6	··/˘··
O was an oyster,	5	···/˘
Who lived in his shell:	6	··˘···
If you let him alone,	6	····˘/
He felt perfectly well.	6	··/˘˘·
P was a polly,	5	···/˘
All red, blue, and green,--	5	·····
The most beautiful polly	7	··/˘˘/˘
That ever was seen.	5	·/˘··
Q was a quill	4	····
Made into a pen;	5	·····
But I do not know where,	6	······
And I cannot say when.	6	··/˘··
R was a rattlesnake,	6	···/˘·
Rolled up so tight,	5	·˘···
Those who saw him ran quickly,	7	·····/˘
For fear he should bite.	5	·····
S was a screw	4	····
To screw down a box;	5	·····
And then it was fastened	6	····/˘
Without any locks.	5	··/˘·
T was a thimble,	5	···/˘
Of silver so bright!	5	·/˘··
When placed on the finger,	6	····/˘
It fitted so tight!	5	·/˘··
U was an upper-coat,	6	···/˘·
Woolly and warm,	4	/˘··
To wear over all	5	·····
In the snow or the storm.	6	······
W was a watch,	6	/˘˘···
Where, in letters of gold,	6	··/˘··
The hour of the day	6	·/˘···
You might always behold.	6	··/·˘/
Y was a yak,	4	····
From the land of Thibet:	6	······
Except his white tail,	5	·····
He was all black as jet.	6	······
Z was a zebra,	5	···/˘
All striped white and black;	6	··˘···
And if he were tame,	5	·····
You might ride on his back.	6	······

The reader shows the same poem with its rhymes coloured and a stress row above each line, the notes beside their stanzas, and any word's definition on a tap; the analysis page takes the whole book apart. How every part of this site was made.

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