Chinese Mother Goose Rhymes Part 5

THE UNGRATEFUL SON

The tail of one magpie's as long as another, He married a wife and he gave up his mother, When asked by his mother to buy her some cake, He wanted to know how much money 'twould take; When his wife wanted pears he saddled his beast, And started to market to buy her a feast; He took off the peeling with very great airs, And asked her politely to have a few pears.

DEBTOR

The magpie sells his bean-curd dear.

If you owe me, Then you I would see On just five days from the end of the year.

THE MISCHIEVOUS BOY

This mischievous boy Is jumping around, On his head is a candlestick Weighing a pound; He is able to play All the nine kinds of tricks, From the bell and the foot-ball To wood-ball and sticks.

THE RICE SELLER

Someone is knocking loud at the door, The dog is making a great uproar; Now I inquire, who can it be?

'Tis only a donkey-man I see, Calling out at the top of his voice: Here's the place to get your rice, Coa.r.s.e rice or fine, Just to your mind, Rice in the husk, Or cleaned by the wind.

CHICKEN SKIN

I went ten steps outside the gate, Which brought me to the ditches, And there I found some chicken skin, To mend my leather breeches; If there had been no chicken skin, I could not mend my trousers thin.

GRINDING FLOUR

We push the mill, The flour we make, And then for grandma A cake we'll bake.

THE FARMER'S GUIDE

In Spring, plant the turnip, In summer, the beet, When harvest is over, We sow the buckwheat.

PULLING THE SAW

We pull the big saw, We push the big saw, To saw up the wood, To build us a house, In order that baby May have a good spouse.

THE DOCTOR'S PRESCRIPTION

A purse, a purse, for better or worse, Indeed, would you know it, I've married a purse.

My wife's little daughter once fell very ill, And we called for a doctor to give her a pill; He wrote a prescription which now we will give her, In which he has ordered a mosquito's liver, And then in addition the heart of a flea, And half pound of fly wings to make her some tea.

LITTLE BOUND FEET

There was a little girl, Who would run upon the street, She took rice and changed it For good things to eat.

Her mother lost control of her Until she bound her feet, But now she's just as good a girl As you will ever meet.

THE FAT MERCHANT

The big fat merchant, He opened up a stall, But had to sell his trousers To get the capital.

KITE FLYING

There were two little sisters went walking one day, Partly for exercise--partly for play, Their kites they took with them they wanted to fly, Were a big centipede and a big b.u.t.terfly; In a very few moments they floated up high, Like a dragon that seemed to be touching the sky.