The Book of Nonsense by Edward Lear

Wonsaponatime: John Lennon's Writings as Children's Literature

The Book of Nonsense by Edward Lear

Proper and exact 'epithets' always were impossible to me as my thoughts were ever in advance of my words.
~ Edward Lear

"The Pobble Who Has No Toes"

I
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!'

II
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 come 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.'

III
The Pobble swam fast and well
And when boats or ships came near him
He tinkedly-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 further side,--
'He has gone to fish, for his Aunt Jobiska's
'Runcible Cat with crimson whiskers!'

IV
But before he touched the shore,
The shore 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!

V
And nobody 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 --
Nobody knew; and nobody knows
How the Pebble was robbed of his twice five toes!

VI
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 buttercups fried with fish;--
And she said,-- 'It's a fact the whole world knows,
'That Pebbles are happier without their toes.'

"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 button! 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.

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 riband by way of a sail,
To a small tobacco-pipe mast;
And every one said, who saw them go,
'O 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 passed 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.

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 Timballo! 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.

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 Jack-daws,
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.

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 Wumberlog (or The Magic Dog)"

Whilst all the tow was sleepy

Crept a little boy from bed

To fained the wondrous peoble

Wot lived when they were dead.

He packed a little voucher

For his dinner 'neath a tree.

'Perhumps a tiny dwarf or two

Would share abite with me?

'Perchamp I'll see the Wumberlog

The highly feathered crow,

The farfing leaping Harristweet

And good old Uncle Joe.'

He packed he very trunkase,

Clean sockers for a week,

His book and denzil for his notes,

Then out the windy creep.

He met him friendly magic dog,

AII black and curlew too,

Wot flew him fast in second class

To do wot he must do.

'I'll leave you now sir,' said the dog,

'But just before I go

I must advise you,' said his friend

'This boat to careflee row.'

'I thank you kindly friendly pal,

I will,' end so he did,

And floated down towards the land

Where all the secrets hid.

What larfs aplenty did he larf,

It seeming so absurd;

Whilst losing all his oars,

On his head he found a bird.

'Hello,' the bird said, larfing too,

'I hope you don't mind me,

I've come to guide you here on in,

In case you're lost at sea.'

Well fancy that, the boy thought,

I neva knew till now

That birds could speak so plainly.

He wondered-wonder how?

'What kind of bird are you sir?'

He said with due respect,

'I hope I'm not too nosey

But I didn't not expect.'

'I am a wumberlog you see,'

The bird replied-all coy,

'The highly feathered species lad,

You ought to jump for joy.'

'1 would I would, if only, but

You see-well-yes, oh dear,

The thing is dear old Wumberlog

I'm petrefried with fear!'

'Now don't be silly' said the bird,

'I friendly-always-and

I'm not like Thorpy Grumphlap,

I'11 show you when we land.'

And soon the land came interview,

A 'tastic sight for sure,

An island with an eye to see

To guide you into shore.

'Hard to starboard' said a tree,

'Yer focsle mainsle blast

Shiwer timbers wayard wind

At last yer've come at last.'

'You weren's expecting me, I hope'

The boy said, puzzled now.

'Of course we are' a thing said,

Looking slightly like a cow.

'We've got the kettle going lad,'

A cheerful apple say,

'I'll bring a bag of friends along

Wot you can have for tay.'

A teawell ate, with dog and tree

Is not a common sight,

Especially when the dog himself

Had started off the flight.

'How did you get here curlew friend?'

The boy said all a maze.

'The same way you did, in a boat,'

The dog yelled through the haze.

'Where are all the peoble, please,

Wot live when they are dead'

I'd like to see them if I may

Before I'm back in bed.'

'You'll see them son,' a carrot said,

'Don't hurry us; you know

You've got to eat a plate of me

Before we let you go!'

Then off to see the peoble whom

The lad had come to see

And in the distance there he saw

A group of twelve or three.

A little further on at last

There were a lot or more,

All digging in the ground and that,

All digging in thc floor.

'What are you digging all the time?'

He asked them like a brother.

Before they answered he could see

They really dug each other.

ln fact they took it turns apiece

To lay down in the ground

And shove the soil upon the heads

Of all their friends uound.

Well, what a sight! I ask you now.

He had to larf out loud.

Before he knew what happened

He'd gathered quite a crowed.

Without a word, and spades on high,

They all dug deep and low,

And placed the boy into a hole

Next to his Uncle Joe.

'I told you not to come out here'

His uncle said, all sad.

'I had to Uncle,' said the boy.'

'You're all the friend I had.'

With just their heads above the ground

They bade a fond goodbye,

With all the people shouting out

'Heres mud into your eye!'

(And there certainly was.)

A Spaniard in the Works

"Deaf Ted, Danoota, (and me)"

Thorg hilly grove and burly ive,

Big daleys grass and tree

We clobber ever gallup

Deaf Ted, Danoota, and me.

Never shall we partly stray,

Fast stirrup all we three

Fight the battle mighty sword

Deaf Ted, Danoota, and me.

With faithful frog beside us,

Big mighty club are we

The battle scab and frisky dyke

Deaf Ted, Danoota, and me.

We fight the baddy baddies,

For colour, race and cree

For Negro, Jew and Bernie

Deaf Ted, Danoota, and me.

Thorg Billy grows and BurnIey ten,

And Aston Villa three

We clobber ever gallup

Deaf Ted, Danoota and me.

So if you hear a wonderous sight,

Am bluster or at sea,

Remember whom the mighty say

Deaf Ted, Danoota, and me-

(sometimes we bring our friend, Malcolm.)

In His Own Write

Like Lear, Lennon possessed a natural love of the whimsical and fun. But in his writings he is also acutely aware of the gap between an idea and its expression; the space between the signified and the signifier. Words are arbitary, and both Lear and Lennon use this as the foundation for their individual nonsensical worlds.

As a child, John Lennon recognized that Lear's nonsense is a world unto itself with its own design and natural patterns; a world unique to Lear as well as unique to its readers. In his nonsense poems, Lennon allows Lear's influence to guide him as he creates a world in which logic and nonsense exist together.

Elizabeth Sewell believes that nonsense and children define each other. "Child shall be that which in each of us, regardless of age, responds to Nonsense verse; Nonsense shall be that to which this child responds...Nonsense may prove to be one of the child's road to Beauty."

Edward Lear's beautiful illustrations also influence John Lennon's writings. Lennon's two books are full of his own illustrations, all of which are reminiscent of Lear's "swift incisive strokes and broad simplicity."

English 304- Children's Literature