Nonsense Books Part 8

[Ill.u.s.tration]

I.

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.

II.

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.

III.

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 sky 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.

IV.

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 Timballoo! 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.

V.

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.

VI.

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.

THE NUTCRACKERS AND THE SUGAR-TONGS.

[Ill.u.s.tration]

I.

The Nutcrackers sate by a plate on the table; The Sugar-tongs sate by a plate at his side; And the Nutcrackers said, "Don't you wish we were able Along the blue hills and green meadows to ride?

Must we drag on this stupid existence forever, So idle and weary, so full of remorse, While every one else takes his pleasure, and never Seems happy unless he is riding a horse?

II.

"Don't you think we could ride without being instructed, Without any saddle or bridle or spur?

Our legs are so long, and so aptly constructed, I'm sure that an accident could not occur.

Let us all of a sudden hop down from the table, And hustle downstairs, and each jump on a horse!

Shall we try? Shall we go? Do you think we are able?"

The Sugar-tongs answered distinctly, "Of course!"

III.

So down the long staircase they hopped in a minute; The Sugar-tongs snapped, and the Crackers said "Crack!"

The stable was open; the horses were in it: Each took out a pony, and jumped on his back.

The Cat in a fright scrambled out of the doorway; The Mice tumbled out of a bundle of hay; The brown and white Rats, and the black ones from Norway, Screamed out, "They are taking the horses away!"

IV.

The whole of the household was filled with amazement: The Cups and the Saucers danced madly about; The Plates and the Dishes looked out of the cas.e.m.e.nt; The Salt-cellar stood on his head with a shout; The Spoons, with a clatter, looked out of the lattice; The Mustard-pot climbed up the gooseberry-pies; The Soup-ladle peeped through a heap of veal-patties, And squeaked with a ladle-like scream of surprise.

V.

The Frying-pan said, "It's an awful delusion!"

The Tea-kettle hissed, and grew black in the face; And they all rushed downstairs in the wildest confusion To see the great Nutcracker-Sugar-tong race.

And out of the stable, with screamings and laughter (Their ponies were cream-colored, speckled with brown), The Nutcrackers first, and the Sugar-tongs after; Rode all round the yard, and then all round the town.

VI.

They rode through the street, and they rode by the station; They galloped away to the beautiful sh.o.r.e; In silence they rode, and "made no observation,"

Save this: "We will never go back any more!"

And still you might hear, till they rode out of hearing, The Sugar-tongs snap, and the Crackers say "Crack!"

Till, far in the distance their forms disappearing, They faded away; and they never came back!

CALICO PIE.