The Broom, the Shovel, the Poker, and the Tongs
The Broom and the Shovel, the Poker and Tongs,They all took a drive in the Park;And they each sang a song, ding-a-dong, ding-a-dong!Before they went back in the dark.Mr. Poker he sate quite upright in the coach;Mr. Tongs made a clatter and clash;Miss Shovel was dressed all in black (with a brooch);Mrs. Broom was in blue (with a sash).Ding-a-dong, ding-a-dong!And they all sang a song.
"O Shovely so lovely!" the Poker he sang,"You have perfectly conquered my heart.Ding-a-dong, ding-a-dong! If you're pleased with my song,I will feed you with cold apple-tart.When you scrape up the coals with a delicate sound,You enrapture my life with delight,Your nose is so shiny, your head is so round,And your shape is so slender and bright!Ding-a-dong, ding-a-dong!Ain't you pleased with my song?"
"Alas! Mrs. Broom," sighed the Tongs in his song,"Oh! is it because I'm so thin,And my legs are so long,--ding-a-dong, ding-a-dong!--That you don't care about me a pin?Ah! fairest of creatures, when sweeping the room,Ah! why don't you heed my complaint?Must you needs be so cruel, you beautiful Broom,Because you are covered with paint?Ding-a-dong, ding-a-dong!You are certainly wrong."
Mrs. Broom and Miss Shovel together they sang,"What nonsense you're singing to-day!"Said the Shovel, "I'll certainly hit you a bang!"Said the Broom, "And I'll sweep you away!"So the coachman drove homeward as fast as he could,Perceiving their anger with pain;But they put on the kettle, and little by littleThey all became happy again.Ding-a-dong, ding-a-dong!There's an end of my song.
Words in this poem
- went n.
- Course; way; path; journey; direction.
- sate v. t.
- To satisfy the desire or appetite of; to satiate; to glut; to surfeit. [Probably shortened fr. satiate: cf. L. satus full. See Satiate.]
- clatter v. i.
- To make a rattling sound by striking hard bodies together; to make a succession of abrupt, rattling sounds. [AS. cla a rattle, akin to D. klateren to rattle. Cf. Clack.]
- enrapture v. t.
- To transport with pleasure; to delight beyond measure; to enravish. Shenstone.
- shiny a.
- Bright; luminous; clear; unclouded.
- needs adv.
- Of necessity; necessarily; indispensably; -- often with must, and equivalent to of need. [Orig. gen. of need, used as an adverb. Cf. - wards.]
- coachman n.
- A man whose business is to drive a coach or carriage.
- drove n.
- A collection of cattle driven, or cattle collected for driving; a number of animals, as oxen, sheep, or swine, driven in a body. [AS. draf, fr. drifan to drive. See Drive.]
- homeward a.
- Being in the direction of home; as, the homeward way.
- kettle n.
- A metallic vessel, with a wide mouth, often without a cover, used for heating and boiling water or other liguids. Kettle pins, ninepins; skittles. Shelton. [OE. ketel; cf. AS. cetel, cetil, cytel; akin to D. kjedel, G. kessel, OHG. chezzil, Icel. ketill, SW. kittel, Dan. kjedel, Goth. katils; all perh. fr. L. catill]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
The Broom, the Shovel, the Poker, and the Tongs 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, The Broom, the Shovel, the Poker, and the Tongs, in Nonsense Songs (1871), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #13647, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/lear-nonsense-songs/the-broom-the-shovel-the-poker-and-the-tongs.html, id L16733.
Form and metre
The Broom, the Shovel, the Poker, and the Tongs is 40 lines in 4 stanzas of 10 lines each. 86% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 9.2 syllables. 1 line ends on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending.
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.
- 1 -ABACDCDBB tongs · parkA · dongB · darkA · coachC · clashD · broochC · sashD · dongB · songB
- 2 -ABACDCDBB sang · heartA · songB · tartA · soundC · delightD · roundC · brightD · dongB · songB
- 3 ABABCDCDAA songA · thinB · dongA · pinB · roomC · complaintD · broomC · paintD · dongA · wrongA
- 4 ABAB-C-CDD sangA · dayB · bangA · awayB · could · painC · little · againC · dongD · songD
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. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| The Broom and the Shovel, the Poker and Tongs, | 11 | ····/˘·/˘·· |
| They all took a drive in the Park; | 8 | ········ |
| And they each sang a song, ding-a-dong, ding-a-dong! | 12 | ············ |
| Before they went back in the dark. | 8 | ········ |
| Mr. Poker he sate quite upright in the coach; | 12 | /˘/˘···˘/··· |
| Mr. Tongs made a clatter and clash; | 9 | /˘···/˘·· |
| Miss Shovel was dressed all in black (with a brooch); | 11 | ·/˘········ |
| Mrs. Broom was in blue (with a sash). | 9 | /˘······· |
| Ding-a-dong, ding-a-dong! | 6 | ······ |
| And they all sang a song. | 6 | ······ |
| "O Shovely so lovely!" the Poker he sang, | 12 | ·····/˘·/˘·· |
| "You have perfectly conquered my heart. | 8 | ··/˘/˘·· |
| Ding-a-dong, ding-a-dong! If you're pleased with my song, | 12 | ············ |
| I will feed you with cold apple-tart. | 9 | ······/˘· |
| When you scrape up the coals with a delicate sound, | 11 | ········/˘· |
| You enrapture my life with delight, | 9 | ·˘/˘···˘/ |
| Your nose is so shiny, your head is so round, | 11 | ····/˘····· |
| And your shape is so slender and bright! | 9 | ·····/˘·· |
| Ding-a-dong, ding-a-dong! | 6 | ······ |
| Ain't you pleased with my song?" | 6 | ······ |
| "Alas! Mrs. Broom," sighed the Tongs in his song, | 11 | ˘//˘······· |
| "Oh! is it because I'm so thin, | 8 | ········ |
| And my legs are so long,--ding-a-dong, ding-a-dong!-- | 12 | ············ |
| That you don't care about me a pin? | 9 | ········· |
| Ah! fairest of creatures, when sweeping the room, | 11 | ·/˘·/˘·/˘·· |
| Ah! why don't you heed my complaint? | 8 | ······˘/ |
| Must you needs be so cruel, you beautiful Broom, | 10 | ·····/·/˘· |
| Because you are covered with paint? | 8 | ····/˘·· |
| Ding-a-dong, ding-a-dong! | 6 | ······ |
| You are certainly wrong." | 6 | ··/˘˘· |
| Mrs. Broom and Miss Shovel together they sang, | 12 | /˘···/˘˘/˘·· |
| "What nonsense you're singing to-day!" | 8 | ·/˘·/˘·· |
| Said the Shovel, "I'll certainly hit you a bang!" | 11 | ··/˘·/˘···· |
| Said the Broom, "And I'll sweep you away!" | 9 | ·······˘/ |
| So the coachman drove homeward as fast as he could, | 12 | ··/˘·/˘····· |
| Perceiving their anger with pain; | 8 | ˘/˘·/˘·· |
| But they put on the kettle, and little by little | 13 | ·····/˘·/˘·/˘ |
| They all became happy again. | 8 | ··˘//˘˘/ |
| Ding-a-dong, ding-a-dong! | 6 | ······ |
| There's an end of my song. | 6 | ······ |
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