The Book of Humorous Verse
Chapter 177 : Said the Yonghy-Bonghy-Bo, Said the Yonghy-Bonghy-Bo.IX Through the silent roaring oce

Said the Yonghy-Bonghy-Bo, Said the Yonghy-Bonghy-Bo.

IX

Through the silent roaring ocean Did the Turtle swiftly go; Holding fast upon his sh.e.l.l Rode the Yonghy-Bonghy-Bo.

With a sad primaeval motion Toward the sunset isles of Boshen Still the Turtle bore him well, Holding fast upon his sh.e.l.l.

"Lady Jingly Jones, farewell!"

Sang the Yonghy-Bonghy-Bo, Sang the Yonghy-Bonghy-Bo.

X

From the Coast of Coromandel Did that Lady never go, On that heap of stones she mourns For the Yonghy-Bonghy-Bo.

On that Coast of Coromandel, In his jug without a handle Still she weeps, and daily moans; On the little heap of stones To her Dorking Hens she moans, For the Yonghy-Bonghy-Bo, For the Yonghy-Bonghy-Bo.

_Edward Lear._

THE JUMBLIES

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 soon be 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.

_Edward Lear._

THE POBBLE WHO HAS NO TOES

The Pobble who has no toes Had once as many as we; When they said, "Some day you may lose them all,"

He replied, "Fish fiddle de-dee!"

And his Aunt Jobiska made him drink Lavender water tinged with pink; For she said, "The World in general knows There's nothing so good for a Pobble's toes!"

The Pobble who has no toes Swam across the Bristol Channel; But before he set out he wrapped his nose In a piece of scarlet flannel.

For his Aunt Jobiska said, "No harm Can came to his toes if his nose is warm; And it's perfectly known that a Pobble's toes Are safe--provided he minds his nose."

The Pobble swam fast and well, And when boats or s.h.i.+ps came near him, He tinkledy-binkledy-winkled a bell So that all the world could hear him.

And all the Sailors and Admirals cried, When they saw him nearing the farther side, "He has gone to fish for his Aunt Jobiska's Runcible Cat with crimson whiskers!"

But before he touched the sh.o.r.e-- The sh.o.r.e of the Bristol Channel, A sea-green Porpoise carried away His wrapper of scarlet flannel.

And when he came to observe his feet, Formerly garnished with toes so neat, His face at once became forlorn On perceiving that all his toes were gone!

And n.o.body ever knew, From that dark day to the present, Whoso had taken the Pobble's toes, In a manner so far from pleasant.

Whether the shrimps or crawfish gray, Or crafty mermaids stole them away, n.o.body knew; and n.o.body knows How the Pobble was robbed of his twice five toes!

The Pobble who has no toes Was placed in a friendly Bark, And they rowed him back and carried him up To his Aunt Jobiska's Park.

And she made him a feast at his earnest wish, Of eggs and b.u.t.tercups fried with fish; And she said, "It's a fact the whole world knows, That Pobbles are happier without their toes."

_Edward Lear._

THE NEW VESTMENTS

There lived an old man in the kingdom of Tess, Who invented a purely original dress; And when it was perfectly made and complete, He opened the door and walked into the street.

By way of a hat he'd a loaf of Brown Bread, In the middle of which he inserted his head; His s.h.i.+rt was made up of no end of dead Mice, The warmth of whose skins was quite fluffy and nice; His Drawers were of Rabbit-skins, so were his Shoes, His Stockings were skins, but it is not known whose; His Waistcoat and Trowsers were made of Pork Chops; His b.u.t.tons were Jujubes and Chocolate Drops.