Types of Children's Literature Part 9

THE JUMBLIES

They went to sea in a sieve, they did; In a sieve they went to sea: In spite of all their friends could say, On a winter's morn, on a stormy day, In a sieve they went to sea.

And when the sieve turned round and round, And every one cried, "You'll all be drowned!"

They called aloud, "Our sieve ain't big; But we don't care a b.u.t.ton, we don't care a fig: In a sieve we'll go to sea!"

Far and few, far and few, Are the lands where the Jumblies live: Their heads are green, and their hands are blue; And they went to sea in a sieve.

They sailed away in a sieve, they did, In a sieve they sailed so fast, With only a beautiful pea-green veil Tied with a ribbon, by way of a sail, To a small tobacco-pipe mast.

And every one said who saw them go, "Oh! won't they be soon upset, you know?

For the sky is dark, and the voyage is long; And happen what may, it's extremely wrong In a sieve to sail so fast."

Far and few, far and few, Are the lands where the Jumblies live: Their heads are green, and their hands are blue; And they went to sea in a sieve.

The water it soon came in, it did; The water it soon came in: So, to keep them dry, they wrapped their feet In a pinky paper all folded neat; And they fastened it down with a pin.

And they pa.s.sed the night in a crockery-jar; And each of them said, "How wise we are!

Though the night be dark, and the voyage be long, Yet we never can think we were rash or wrong, While round in our sieve we spin."

Far and few, far and few, Are the lands where the Jumblies live: Their heads are green, and their hands are blue; And they went to sea in a sieve.

And all night long they sailed away; And when the sun went down, They whistled and warbled a moony song To the echoing sound of a coppery gong, In the shade of the mountains brown.

"O Timballo! How happy we are When we live in a sieve and a crockery jar!

And all night long, in the moonlight pale, We sail away with a pea-green sail In the shade of the mountains brown."

Far and few, far and few, Are the lands where the Jumblies live: Their heads are green, and their hands are blue; And they went to sea in a sieve.

They sailed to the Western Sea, they did,-- To a land all covered with trees: And they bought an owl, and a useful cart, And a pound of rice, and a cranberry tart, And a hive of silvery bees; And they bought a pig, and some green jackdaws, And a lovely monkey with lollipop paws, And forty bottles of ring-bo-ree, And no end of Stilton cheese.

Far and few, far and few, Are the lands where the Jumblies live: Their heads are green, and their hands are blue; And they went to sea in a sieve.

And in twenty years they all came back,-- In twenty years or more; And every one said, "How tall they've grown!

For they've been to the Lakes, and the Torrible Zone, And the hills of the Chankly Bore."

And they drank their health, and gave them a feast Of dumplings made of beautiful yeast; And every one said, "If we only live, We, too, will go to sea in a sieve, To the hills of the Chankly Bore."

Far and few, far and few, Are the lands where the Jumblies live: Their heads are green, and their hands are blue; And they went to sea in a sieve.

BALLADS

POPULAR

BONNY BARBARA ALLAN

It was in and about the Martinmas time, When the green leaves were a-falling, That Sir John Graeme, in the West Country, Fell in love with Barbara Allan.

He sent his man down through the town, To the place where she was dwelling: "O haste and come to my master dear, Gin ye be Barbara Allan."

O hooly, hooly rose she up, To the place where he was lying, And when she drew the curtain by: "Young man, I think you're dying."

"O it's I'm sick, and very, very sick, And 'tis a' for Barabara Allan"; "O the better for me ye's never be, Tho your heart's blood were a-spilling.

"Do you remember the other day, When we were at the tavern drinking, You drank a health to the ladies all, And you slighted Barbara Allan?"

"Yes, I remember the other day, When we were at the tavern drinking, I drank a health to the ladies all, And three to Barbara Allan."

"Do you remember the other night, When we were at the ballroom dancing, You gave your hand to the ladies all, And slighted Barbara Allan?"

"Yes, I remember the other night, When we were at the ballroom dancing, I gave my hand to the ladies all, And my heart to Barbara Allan."

He turned his face unto the wall, And death was with him dealing: "Adieu, adieu, my dear friends all.

And be kind to Barbara Allan."

And slowly, slowly raise she up, And slowly, slowly left him, And, sighing, said she could not stay, Since death of life had reft him.

She had not gane a mile but twa, When she heard the dead-bell ringing, And every jow that the dead-bell geid, It cry'd, "Woe to Barbara Allan."

"O mother, mother, make my bed!

O make it saft and narrow!

Since my love died for me today, I'll die for him tomorrow."

SIR PATRICK SPENCE

The king sits in Dunferling toune, Drinking the blude-reid wine; "O whar will I get a guid sailor To sail this schip of mine?"

Up and spak an eldern knicht, Sat at the king's richt kne: "Sir Patrick Spence is the best sailor, That sails upon the se."

The king has written a braid letter, And signd it wi' his hand; And sent it to Sir Patrick Spence, Was walking on the sand.

The first line that Sir Patrick red, A loud lauch lauched he; The next line that Sir Patrick red.

The teir blinded his ee.

"O wha is this has don this deid, This ill deid don to me, To send me out this time o' the yeir, To sail upon the se!

"Mak haste, mak haste, my mirry men all, Our guid schip sails the morne."

"O say na sae, my master deir, For I feir a deadlie storme.