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The
Owl and the Pussy cat
went to sea
In
a beautiful pea-green boat:
They
took some honey, and plenty of money
Wrapped
up in a five-pound note.
The
Owl looked up to the stars above,
And
sang to a small guitar,
"Oh
lovely Pussy, O Pussy, my love,
What
a beautiful Pussy you are,
You
are,
You
are!
What
a beautiful Pussy you are!"
Pussy
said to the Owl, "You elegant fowl,
How
charmingly sweet you sing!
Oh!
let us be married; too long we have tarried:
But
what shall we do for a ring?"
They
sailed away, for a year and a day,
To
the land where the bong-tree grows;
And
there in a wood a Piggy-wig stood,
With
a ring at the end of his nose,
His
nose,
His
nose,
With
a ring at the end of his nose.
"Dear
Pig, are you willing to sell for one shilling
Your
ring?" Said the Piggy, "I will."
So
they took it away, and were married next day
By
the turkey who lives on the hill.
They
dined on mince and slices of quince,
Which
they ate with a runcible spoon;
And
hand in hand, on the edge of the sand,
They
danced by the light of the moon,
The
moon,
The
moon,
They
danced by the light of the moon.
Dear
mother, how pretty
The
moon looks tonight!
She
was never so cunning before;
Her
two little horns
Are
so sharp and bright,
I
hope she'll not grow any more.
If
I were up there,
With
you and my friends,
I'd
rock in it nicely, you'd see;
I'd
sit in the middle
And
hold by both ends.
Oh,
what a bright cradle it
would be!
I
would call to the stars
To
keep out of the way,
Lest
we should rock over their toes;
And
then I would rock
Till
the dawn of the day,
And
see where the pretty moon goes.
And
there we would stay
In
the beautiful skies,
All
through the bright clouds we would roam;
We
would see the sun set,
And
see the sun rise,
And
on the next rainbow come home.
Have
you ever heard of the Sugar-Plum Tree?
'Tis
a marvel of great renown!
It
blooms on the shore of the Lollopop Sea
In
the garden of Shut-Eye town;
The
fruit that it bears is so wondrously sweet,
(As
those who have tasted it say),
That
good children have only to eat
Of
that fruit to be happy next day.
When
you've got to the tree, you would have a hard time
To
capture the fruit which I sing;
The
tree is so tall that no person can climb
To
the boughs where the sugar-plums swing;
But
up in that tree sits a chocolate cat,
And
a gingerbread dog prowls below,
And
this is the way you contrive to get at
Those
sugar-plums tempting you so:
You
say but the word to that gingerbread dog,
And
he barks with such terrible zest
That
the chocolate cat is at once all agog,
As
her swelling proportions attest.
And
the chocolate cat goes cavorting around
From
this leafy limb unto that,
And
the sugar-plums tumble, of course to the ground
Hurrah
for that chocolate cat!
There
are marshmallows, gumdrops and peppermint canes,
With
stripings of scarlet and gold,
And
you carry away of that treasure that rains
As
much as your apron can hold!
So
come, little child, cuddle closer to me
In
your dainty white nightcap and gown,
And
I'll rock you away to that Sugar-Plum Tree
In
the garden of Shut-Eye Town.
See
the pretty snowfakes
Falling
from the sky;
On
the wall and housetops
Soft
and thick they lie.
On
the window ledges,
On
the branches bare;
Now
how fast they gather,
Filling
all the air.
Look
into the garden,
Where
the grass was green;
Covered
by the snowflakes,
Not
a blade is seen.
Now
the bare black bushes
All
look soft and white,
Every
twig is laden, --
What
a pretty sight!
Smooth
it slides upon its travel,
Here
a wimple, there a gleam --
O
the clean gravel!
O
the smooth stream!
Sailing
blossoms, silver fishes,
Paven
pools as clear as air --
How
the child wishes
To
live down there!
We
can see our colored faces
Floating
on the shaken pool
Down
in cool places
Dim
and very cool;
Till
a wind or water wrinkle,
Dipping
marten, plumping trout,
Spreads
in a twinkle
And
blots all out.
See
the rings pursue each other;
All
below grows black as night,
Just
as if mother
Had
blown out the light!
Patience
children, just a minute --
See
the spreading circles die;
The
stream and all in it
Will
clear by-and-by.
I
saw the cobwebs on the grass
With
dew drops all around.
I
heard a gentle gust of wind
Blow
small leaves to the ground.
I
saw the tints of pink and blue,
For
sunrise time was near;
And,
as it rose above the hills,
I
saw a tiny deer.
It
looked and smelled to make quite sure
That
nobody was near;
It
saw me, eyed me curiously,
And
beat retreat in fear.
Then
folks began to stir about
To
get their work begun.
I
never, never shall forget
That
rising of the sun.
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