GOOD-NIGHT AND GOOD-MORNING.
A fair little girl sat under the tree
Sewing as long as her eyes could see;
Then smoothed her work and folded it right,
And said, “Dear work, good-night, good-night!”
Such a number of rooks came over her head
Crying, “Caw, caw!” on their way to bed;
She said as she watched their curious flight,
“Little black things, good-night, good-night!”
The horses neighed, and the oxen lowed;
The sheep’s “Bleat, bleat!” came over the road,
All seeming to say with a quiet delight,
“Good little girl, good-night, good-night!”
She did not say to the sun, “Good-night!”
Though she saw him there like a ball of light;
For she knew he had God’s own time to keep
All over the world, and never could sleep.
The tall, pink Fox-glove bowed his head—
The violets curtesied, and went to bed;
And good little Lucy tied up her hair
And said, on her knees, her favorite prayer.
And while on her pillow she softly lay,
She knew nothing more till again it was day,
And all things said to the beautiful sun,
“Good-morning, good-morning! our work is begun.”
—Lord Houghton.
Sing, Sing! What Shall I Sing?
Sing, sing! what shall I sing?
The cat has eat the pudding-string!
Do, do! what shall I do?
The cat has bit it quite in two.
Pease-Pudding Hot.
Pease-pudding hot,
Pease-pudding cold,
Pease-pudding in the pot,
Nine days old.
Some like it hot,
Some like it cold,
Some like it in the pot,
Nine days old.
Peter, Peter, Pumpkin-eater.
Peter, Peter, pumpkin-eater,
Had a wife, and couldn’t keep her;
He put her in a pumpkin-shell,
And there he kept her very well.
Peter, Peter, pumpkin-eater,
Had another and didn’t love her;
Peter learned to read and spell,
And then he loved her very well.
The Farmyard.
Waiting to be Hired.
Little Miss Muffet.
Little Miss Muffet
Sat on a tuffet,
Eating of curds and whey;
There came a spider,
And sat down beside her,
And frightened Miss Muffet away.
My Lady Wind, my Lady Wind.
My Lady Wind, my Lady Wind,
Went round about the house to find
A chink to get her foot in.
She tried the key-hole in the door,
She tried the crevice in the floor,
And drove the chimney soot in.
And then one night when it was dark
She blew up such a tiny spark,
That all the house was bothered:
From it she raised up such a flame,
As flamed away to Belting Lane,
And White Cross folks were smothered.
And thus when once, my little dears,
A whisper reaches itching ears,
The same will come, you’ll find:
Take my advice, restrain the tongue,
Remember what old Nurse has sung
Of busy Lady Wind!
What is the Rhyme for Porringer?
What is the rhyme for porringer?
The king he had a daughter fair,
And gave the Prince of Orange her.
The Queen of Hearts.
The queen of hearts
She made some tarts,
All on a summer’s day;
The knave of hearts
He stole those tarts,
And with them ran away.
The king of hearts
Called for those tarts,
And beat the knave full sore;
The knave of hearts
Brought back those tarts,
And said he’d ne’er steal more.
Where Are You Going, My Pretty Maid?
“Where are you going, my pretty maid?”
“I’m going a-milking, sir,” she said.
“May I go with you, my pretty maid?”
“You’re kindly welcome, sir,” she said.
“What is your father, my pretty maid?”
“My father’s a farmer, sir,” she said.
“What is your fortune, my pretty maid?”
“My face is my fortune, sir,” she said.
“Then I can’t marry you, my pretty maid!”
“Nobody asked you, sir,” she said.
Here We Go Up, Up, Up.
Here we go up, up, up,
And here we go down, down, downy,
And here we go backwards and forwards,
And here we go round, round, roundy.
Oh, Dear! What Can the Matter Be?
Oh, dear! what can the matter be?
Two old women got up an apple-tree;
One came down,
And the other stayed till Saturday.
For Every Evil Under the Sun.
For every evil under the sun,
There is a remedy, or there is none.
If there be one, try and find it,
If there be none, never mind it.