Children's Literature Part 14

Little Bo-peep fell fast asleep, And dreamt she heard them bleating; But when she awoke, she found it a joke, For they were still all fleeting.

Then up she took her little crook, Determined for to find them; She found them indeed, but it made her heart bleed, For they'd left their tails behind them.

It happened one day, as Bo-peep did stray, Unto a meadow hard by: There she espied their tails side by side, All hung on a tree to dry.

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c.o.c.k A DOODLE DOO

c.o.c.k a doodle doo!

My dame has lost her shoe; My master's lost his fiddling stick, And don't know what to do.

c.o.c.k a doodle doo!

What is my dame to do?

Till master finds his fiddling stick, She'll dance without her shoe.

c.o.c.k a doodle doo!

My dame has found her shoe, And master's found his fiddling stick, Sing doodle doodle doo!

c.o.c.k a doodle doo!

My dame will dance with you, While master fiddles his fiddling stick, For dame and doodle doo.

128

THREE JOVIAL HUNTSMEN

There were three jovial huntsmen, As I have heard them say, And they would go a-hunting All on a summer's day.

All the day they hunted, And nothing could they find But a s.h.i.+p a-sailing, A-sailing with the wind.

One said it was a s.h.i.+p, The other he said nay; The third said it was a house With the chimney blown away.

And all the night they hunted, And nothing could they find, But the moon a-gliding, A-gliding with the wind.

One said it was the moon, The other he said nay; The third said it was a cheese, And half o't cut away.

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THERE WAS A LITTLE MAN

There was a little man, And he had a little gun, And his bullets were made of lead, lead, lead; He went to a brook, And fired at a duck, And shot it through the head, head, head.

He carried it home To his old wife Joan, And bade her a fire to make, make, make, To roast the little duck, He had shot in the brook, And he'd go and fetch her the drake, drake, drake.

The drake was a-swimming, With his curly tail; The little man made it his mark, mark, mark!

He let off his gun, But he fired too soon, And the drake flew away with a quack, quack, quack.

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TAFFY

Taffy was a Welshman; Taffy was a thief; Taffy came to my house, And stole a piece of beef.

I went to Taffy's house; Taffy wasn't home; Taffy came to my house, And stole a marrow-bone.

I went to Taffy's house; Taffy was in bed; I took up the marrow-bone And flung it at his head!

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SIMPLE SIMON

Simple Simon met a pieman Going to the fair: Says Simple Simon to the pieman, "Let me taste your ware."

Says the pieman to Simple Simon, "Show me first your penny."

Says Simple Simon to the pieman, "Indeed I haven't any."

Simple Simon went a fis.h.i.+ng Just to catch a whale: All the water he had got Was in his mother's pail.

Simple Simon went to look If plums grew on a thistle; He p.r.i.c.ked his fingers very much, Which made poor Simon whistle.

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A FARMER WENT TROTTING

A farmer went trotting upon his gray mare, b.u.mpety, b.u.mpety, b.u.mp!

With his daughter behind him so rosy and fair, Lumpety, lumpety, lump!

A raven cried "Croak!" and they all tumbled down, b.u.mpety, b.u.mpety, b.u.mp!

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

The mischievous raven flew laughing away, b.u.mpety, b.u.mpety, b.u.mp!

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