[Illustration]
There was a Young Lady of
Welling,
Whose praise all the world
was a-telling;
She played on the harp, and
caught several Carp,
That accomplished Young Lady
of Welling.
[Illustration]
There was an Old Person of
Tartary,
Who divided his jugular artery;
But he screeched to his Wife,
and she said, “Oh, my life!
Your death will be felt by
all Tartary!”
[Illustration]
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.
[Illustration]
There was a Young Lady of
Sweden,
Who went by the slow train
to Weedon;
When they cried, “Weedon
Station!” she made no observation,
But thought she should go
back to Sweden.
[Illustration]
There was an Old Person of
Chester,
Whom several small children
did pester;
They threw some large stones,
which broke most of his bones,
And displeased that Old Person
of Chester.
[Illustration]
There was an Old Man of the
Cape,
Who possessed a large Barbary
Ape;
Till the Ape, one dark night,
set the house all alight,
Which burned that Old Man
of the Cape.
[Illustration]
There was an Old Person of
Burton,
Whose answers were rather
uncertain;
When they said, “How
d’ ye do?” he replied, “Who are you?”
That distressing Old Person
of Burton.
[Illustration]
There was an Old Person of
Ems
Who casually fell in the Thames;
And when he was found, they
said he was drowned,
That unlucky Old Person of
Ems.
[Illustration]
There was a Young Girl of
Majorca,
Whose Aunt was a very fast
walker;
She walked seventy miles,
and leaped fifteen stiles,
Which astonished that Girl
of Majorca.
[Illustration]
There was a Young Lady of
Poole,
Whose soup was excessively
cool;
So she put it to boil by the
aid of some oil,
That ingenious Young Lady
of Poole.
[Illustration]
There was an Old Lady of Prague,
Whose language was horribly
vague;
When they said, “Are
these caps?” she answered, “Perhaps!”
That oracular Lady of Prague.
[Illustration]
There was a Young Lady of
Parma,
Whose conduct grew calmer
and calmer:
When they said, “Are
you dumb?” she merely said, “Hum!”
That provoking Young Lady
of Parma.
[Illustration]
There was an Old Person of
Sparta,
Who had twenty-five sons and
one “darter;”
He fed them on Snails, and
weighed them in scales,
That wonderful Person of Sparta.