Knjigice
Fairy tale · Funny stories
A Book of Nonsense
Eleven nonsense rhymes about very odd ladies and gentlemen
Also in: Knjiga nesmislov (Slovenian) · Kniha nezmyslov (Slovak)
There was an Old Man with a beard,
Who said, "It is just as I feared! —
Two Owls and a Hen,
Four Larks and a Wren,
Have all built their nests in my beard!"
1
There was a Young Lady whose bonnet
Came untied when the birds sate upon it;
But she said, "I don't care!
All the birds in the air
Are welcome to sit on my bonnet!"
2
There was an Old Man on a hill,
Who seldom, if ever, stood still;
He ran up and down,
In his Grandmother's gown,
Which adorned that Old Man on a hill.
3
There was an Old Person of Ewell,
Who chiefly subsisted on gruel;
But to make it more nice,
He inserted some mice,
Which refreshed that Old Person of Ewell.
4
There was a Young Lady of Portugal,
Whose ideas were excessively nautical;
She climbed up a tree,
To examine the sea,
But declared she would never leave Portugal.
5
There was an Old Man with an owl,
Who continued to bother and howl;
He sat on a rail,
And imbibed bitter ale,
Which refreshed that Old Man and his owl.
6
There was an Old Man who said, "How
Shall I flee from this horrible Cow?
I will sit on this stile,
And continue to smile,
Which may soften the heart of that Cow."
7
There was an Old Lady of Chertsey,
Who made a remarkable curtsey;
She twirled round and round,
Till she sank underground,
Which distressed all the people of Chertsey.
8
There was an Old Man in a boat,
Who said, "I'm afloat! I'm afloat!"
When they said, "No! you ain't!"
He was ready to faint,
That unhappy Old Man in a boat.
9
There was an Old Man, on whose nose,
Most birds of the air could repose;
But they all flew away
At the closing of day,
Which relieved that Old Man and his nose.
10
There was an Old Man of Whitehaven,
Who danced a quadrille with a Raven;
But they said, "It's absurd
To encourage this bird!"
So they smashed that Old Man of Whitehaven.
11The End
