The Home Book of Verse Volume I Part 15

(TOBACCO.)

Flour of England, fruit of Spain, Met together in a shower of rain; Put in a bag tied round with a string, If you'll tell me this riddle, I'll give you a ring.

(A plum-pudding.)

In marble walls as white as milk, Lined with a skin as soft as silk, Within a fountain crystal clear, A golden apple doth appear.

No doors there are to this stronghold, Yet thieves break in and steal the gold.

(An egg.)

Little Nanny Etticoat, In a white petticoat, And a red nose; The longer she stands, The shorter she grows.

(A candle.)

Long legs, crooked thighs, Little head and no eyes.

(A pair of tongs.)

Thirty white horses upon a red hill, Now they tramp, now they champ, now they stand still.

(The teeth.)

Formed long ago, yet made to-day, Employed while others sleep; What few would like to give away, Nor any wish to keep.

(A bed.)

Lives in winter, Dies in summer, And grows with its root upwards.

(An icicle.)

Elizabeth, Lizzy, Betsy and Bess, All went together to seek a bird's nest; They found a nest with five eggs in it; They each took one and left four in it.

Thomas a Tattamus took two T's, To tie two tups to two tall trees, To frighten the terrible Thomas a Tattamus!

Tell me how many T's there are in all THAT!

Old Mother Twitchett had but one eye, And a long tail which she let fly; And every time she went over a gap, She left a bit of her tail in a trap.

(A needle and thread.)

As I went through a garden gap, Who should I meet but d.i.c.k Red-Cap!

A stick in his hand, a stone in his throat, If you'll tell me this riddle, I'll give you a groat.

(A cherry.)

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall, Humpty Dumpty had a great fall; All the king's horses and all the king's men Cannot put Humpty Dumpty together again.

(An egg.)

As I was going to St. Ives, I met a man with seven wives, Every wife had seven sacks, Every sack had seven cats, Every cat had seven kits-- Kits, cats, sacks, and wives, How many were going to St. Ives?

(One.)

Two legs sat upon three legs, With one leg in his lap; In comes four legs And runs away with one leg; Up jumps two legs, Catches up three legs, Throws it after four legs, And makes him drop one leg.

(A man, a stool, a leg of mutton, and a dog.)

PROVERBS

If wishes were horses, Beggars would ride; If turnips were watches, I'd wear one by my side.

A man of words, and not of deeds, Is like a garden full of weeds; For when the weeds begin to grow, Then doth the garden overflow.

He that would thrive Must rise at five; He that hath thriven May lie till seven; And he that by the plough would thrive, Himself must either hold or drive.

A swarm of bees in May Is worth a load of hay; A swarm of bees in June Is worth a silver spoon; A swarm of bees in July Is not worth a fly.

They that wash on Monday Have all the week to dry; They that wash on Tuesday Are not so much awry; They that wash on Wednesday Are not so much to blame; They that wash on Thursday, Wash for shame; They that wash on Friday, Wash in need; And they that wash on Sat.u.r.day, Oh, they are slovens, indeed.

Needles and pins, needles and pins, When a man marries, his trouble begins.

For every evil under the sun, There is a remedy, or there is none.

If there be one, try and find it; If there be none, never mind it.

Tommy's tears, and Mary's fears, Will make them old before their years.

If "ifs" and "ands"

Were pots and pans, There would be no need for tinkers!

For want of a nail, the shoe was lost; For want of the shoe, the horse was lost; For want of the horse, the rider was lost; For want of the rider, the battle was lost; For want of the battle, the kingdom was lost; And all from the want of a horseshoe nail.

KIND HEARTS

Kind hearts are the gardens, Kind thoughts are the roots, Kind words are the blossoms, Kind deeds are the fruits; Love is the sweet suns.h.i.+ne That warms into life, For only in darkness Grow hatred and strife.

WEATHER WISDOM

A suns.h.i.+ny shower Won't last half an hour.

Rain before seven, Fair by eleven.

The South wind brings wet weather, The North wind wet and cold together; The West wind always brings us rain, The East wind blows it back again.

March winds and April showers Bring forth May flowers.

Evening red and morning gray Set the traveller on his way, But evening gray and morning red, Bring the rain upon his head.

Rainbow at night Is the sailor's delight; Rainbow at morning, Sailors, take warning.

OLD SUPERSt.i.tIONS