Sneezles
Christopher RobinHad wheezlesAnd sneezles,They bundled himIntoHis bed.They gave him what goesWith a cold in the nose,And some more for a coldIn the head.They wonderedIf wheezlesCould turnInto measles,If sneezlesWould turnInto mumps;They examined his chestFor a rash,And the restOf his body for swellings and lumps.They sent for some doctorsIn sneezlesAnd wheezlesTo tell them what oughtTo be done.
All sorts and conditionsOf famous physiciansCame hurrying roundAt a run.They all made a noteOf the state of his throat,They asked if he suffered from thirst;They asked if the sneezlesCame after the wheezles,Or if the first sneezleCame first.They said, "If you teazleA sneezleOr wheezle,A measleMay easily grow.But humour or pleazleThe wheezleOr sneezle,The measleWill certainly go."They expounded the reazlesFor sneezlesAnd wheezles,The manner of measlesWhen new.They said "If he freezlesIn draughts and in breezles,Then PHTHEEZLESMay even ensue."
Christopher RobinGot up in the morning,The sneezles had vanished away.And the look in his eyeSeemed to say to the sky,"Now, how to amuse them to-day?"
Words in this poem
- wondered a.
- Having performed wonders; able to perform wonderful things.
- ought p. p.
- Was or were under obligation to pay; owed. [Orig. the preterit of the verb to owe. OE. oughte, aughte, ahte, AS. ahte. sq. root110. See Owe.]
- humour n.
- Moisture, especially, the moisture or fluid of animal bodies, as the chyle, lymph, etc.; as, the humors of the eye, etc. [OE. humour, OF. humor, umor, F. humeur, L. humor, umor, moisture, fluid, fr. humere, umere, to be moist. See Humid.]
- ensue v. t.
- To follow; to pursue; to follow and overtake. [OF. ensevre, OF. & F. ensuivre, fr. L. insequi; in + sequi to pursue. See Sue.]
- amuse v. t.
- To occupy or engage the attention of; to lose in deep thought; to absorb; also, to distract; to bewilder. [F. amuser to make stay, to detain, to amuse, ad) + OF. muser. See Muse, v.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Sneezles is in the public domain. This text is taken from Now We Are Six, Project Gutenberg ebook #70516; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: A. A. Milne, Sneezles, in Now We Are Six (1927), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #70516, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/milne-now-we-are-six/sneezles.html, id L27222.
Form and metre
Sneezles is 62 lines in 3 stanzas. This poem did not settle on a metre of its own; the book it comes from is in iambic tetrameter.
See other poems in iambic tetrameter.
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 -AA--BCC-BBAD-ADEF-FE-AA-- robin · wheezlesA · sneezlesA · him · into · bedB · goesC · noseC · cold · headB · wonderedB · wheezlesA · turnD · measles · sneezlesA · turnD · mumpsE · chestF · rash · restF · lumpsE · doctors · sneezlesA · wheezlesA · ought · done
- 2 AA--BBCDDECFEEGHFEEGHDDD-IDDDI conditionsA · physiciansA · round · run · noteB · throatB · thirstC · sneezlesD · wheezlesD · sneezleE · firstC · teazleF · sneezleE · wheezleE · measleG · growH · pleazleF · wheezleE · sneezleE · measleG · goH · reazlesD · sneezlesD · wheezlesD · measles · newI · freezlesD · breezlesD · phtheezlesD · ensueI
- 3 --ABBA robin · morning · awayA · eyeB · skyB · dayA
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 tetrameter. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| Christopher Robin | 5 | /˘˘/˘ |
| Had wheezles | 2 | ·· |
| And sneezles, | 2 | ·· |
| They bundled him | 5 | ·/˘˘· |
| Into | 2 | ·· |
| His bed. | 2 | ·· |
| They gave him what goes | 5 | ····· |
| With a cold in the nose, | 6 | ······ |
| And some more for a cold | 6 | ······ |
| In the head. | 3 | ··· |
| They wondered | 3 | ·/˘ |
| If wheezles | 2 | ·· |
| Could turn | 2 | ·· |
| Into measles, | 4 | ··/˘ |
| If sneezles | 2 | ·· |
| Would turn | 2 | ·· |
| Into mumps; | 3 | ··· |
| They examined his chest | 6 | ·˘/˘·· |
| For a rash, | 3 | ··· |
| And the rest | 3 | ··· |
| Of his body for swellings and lumps. | 9 | ··/˘·/˘·· |
| They sent for some doctors | 6 | ····/˘ |
| In sneezles | 2 | ·· |
| And wheezles | 2 | ·· |
| To tell them what ought | 5 | ····· |
| To be done. | 3 | ··· |
| All sorts and conditions | 6 | ···˘/˘ |
| Of famous physicians | 6 | ·/˘˘/˘ |
| Came hurrying round | 5 | ·/˘˘· |
| At a run. | 3 | ··· |
| They all made a note | 5 | ····· |
| Of the state of his throat, | 6 | ······ |
| They asked if he suffered from thirst; | 8 | ····/˘·· |
| They asked if the sneezles | 6 | ··˘··· |
| Came after the wheezles, | 5 | ····· |
| Or if the first sneezle | 6 | ······ |
| Came first. | 2 | ·· |
| They said, "If you teazle | 6 | ····/˘ |
| A sneezle | 3 | ··· |
| Or wheezle, | 3 | ··· |
| A measle | 3 | ·/˘ |
| May easily grow. | 5 | ·/˘˘· |
| But humour or pleazle | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| The wheezle | 3 | ··· |
| Or sneezle, | 3 | ··· |
| The measle | 3 | ·/˘ |
| Will certainly go." | 5 | ·/˘˘· |
| They expounded the reazles | 6 | ·˘/˘·· |
| For sneezles | 2 | ·· |
| And wheezles, | 2 | ·· |
| The manner of measles | 6 | ·/˘·/˘ |
| When new. | 2 | ·· |
| They said "If he freezles | 5 | ····· |
| In draughts and in breezles, | 5 | ····· |
| Then PHTHEEZLES | 2 | ·· |
| May even ensue." | 5 | ·/˘˘/ |
| Christopher Robin | 5 | /˘˘/˘ |
| Got up in the morning, | 6 | ····/˘ |
| The sneezles had vanished away. | 7 | ···/˘˘/ |
| And the look in his eye | 6 | ······ |
| Seemed to say to the sky, | 6 | ······ |
| "Now, how to amuse them to-day?" | 8 | ···˘/··· |
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.