The Cow

47

A raven cried croak! and they all tumbled down;
Bumpety, bumpety, bump!

The mare broke her knees, and the farmer his crown;
Lumpety, lumpety, lump!

The mischievous raven flew laughing away;

Bumpety, bumpety, bump!

And vowed he would serve them the same the next day; Lumpety, lumpety, lump!

THE Owl and the eel and the warming-pan,
They went to call on the soap-fat man.
The soap-fat man he was not within:
He'd gone for a ride on his rolling-pin.

So they all came back by the way of the town,
And turned the meeting-house upside down.

Laura E. Richards [1850

THE COW

THANK you, pretty cow, that made
Pleasant milk to soak my bread,

Every day, and every night,

Warm, and fresh, and sweet, and white.

Do not chew the hemlock rank,
Growing on the weedy bank;
But the yellow cowslips eat,
They will make it very sweet.

Where the purple violet grows,
Where the bubbling water flows,
Where the grass is fresh and fine,
Pretty cow, go there and dine.

Ann Taylor [1782-1866]

THE LAMB

LITTLE Lamb, who made thee?
Dost thou know who made thee,
Gave thee life, and bade thee feed
By the stream, and o'er the mead;
Gave thee clothing of delight,
Softest clothing, woolly, bright;
Gave thee such a tender voice,
Making all the vales rejoice?

Little Lamb, who made thee?
Dost thou know who made thee?

Little Lamb, I'll tell thee,
Little Lamb, I'll tell thee;
He is called by thy name,
For He calls Himself a Lamb.
He is meek, and He is mild;
He became a little child.
I a child, and thou a lamb,
We are called by His name.

Little Lamb, God bless thee!
Little Lamb, God bless thee.

William Blake (1757-1827]

LITTLE RAINDROPS

OH, where do you come from,
You little drops of rain,
Pitter patter, pitter patter,
Down the window-pane?

They won't let me walk,

And they won't let me play,

And they won't let me go

Out of doors at all to-day.

They put away my playthings
Because I broke them all,

And then they locked up all my bricks,
And took away my ball.

The House that Jack Built

Tell me, little raindrops,
Is that the way you play,
Pitter patter, pitter patter,
All the rainy day?

They say I'm very naughty,
But I've nothing else to do
But sit here at the window;

I should like to play with you.

The little raindrops cannot speak,
But "pitter, patter pat"
Means, "We can play on this side:
Why can't you play on that?"

"MOON, SO ROUND AND YELLOW"

MOON, so round and yellow,

Looking from on high,

How I love to see you

Shining in the sky.
Oft and oft I wonder,

When I see you there,
How they get to light you,
Hanging in the air:

Where you go at morning,
When the night is past,

And the sun comes peeping
O'er the hills at last.

Sometime I will watch you

Slyly overhead,

When you think I'm sleeping

Snugly in my bed.

Matthias Barr [1831

THE HOUSE THAT JACK BUILT

THIS is the house that Jack built.

This is the malt

That lay in the house that Jack built.

49

This is the rat

That ate the malt

That lay in the house that Jack built,

This is the cat

That killed the rat

That ate the malt

That lay in the house that Jack built.

This is the dog

That worried the cat

That killed the rat

That ate the malt

That lay in the house that Jack built.

This is the cow with the crumpled horn
That tossed the dog

That worried the cat
That killed the rat

That ate the malt

That lay in the house that Jack built.

This is the maiden all forlorn

That milked the cow with the crumpled horn

That tossed the dog

That worried the cat

That killed the rat

That ate the malt

That lay in the house that Jack built.

This is the man all tattered and torn

That kissed the maiden all forlorn

That milked the cow with the crumpled horn

That tossed the dog

That worried the cat

That killed the rat

That ate the malt

That lay in the house that Jack built.

This is the priest all shaven and shorn
That married the man all tattered and torn
That kissed the maiden all forlorn

That milked the cow with the crumpled horn

Old Mother Hubbard

51

That tossed the dog

That worried the cat

That killed the rat

That ate the malt

That lay in the house that Jack built.

This is the cock that crowed in the morn
That waked the priest all shaven and shorn
That married the man all tattered and torn
That kissed the maiden all forlorn

That milked the cow with the crumpled horn
That tossed the dog

That worried the cat
That killed the rat

That ate the malt

That lay in the house that Jack built.

This is the farmer sowing his corn

That kept the cock that crowed in the morn
That waked the priest all shaven and shorn
That married the man all tattered and torn
That kissed the maiden all forlorn

That milked the cow with the crumpled horn
That tossed the dog

That worried the cat

That killed the rat

That ate the malt

That lay in the house that Jack built.

OLD MOTHER HUBBARD

OLD Mother Hubbard
Went to the cupboard,

To get her poor dog a bone:

But when she got there

The cupboard was bare,
And so the poor dog had none.

She went to the baker's

To buy him some bread,
But when she came back

The poor dog was dead.