Nonsense Alphabet

: AMUSING ALPHABETS
: Boys And Girls Bookshelf

BY EDWARD LEAR



A was an ant

Who seldom stood still,

And who made a nice house

In the side of a hill.

a

Nice little ant!



B was a book

With a binding of blue,

And pictures and stories

For me and for you.

b

N
ce little book!



C was a camel;

You rode on his hump;

And if you fell off,

You came down such a bump!

c

What a high camel!



D was a duck

With spots on his back,

Who lived in the water,

And always said "Quack!"

d

Dear little duck!



E was an elephant,

Stately and wise:

He had tusks and a trunk,

And two queer little eyes.

e

Oh, what funny small eyes!



F was a fish

Who was caught in a net;

But he got out again,

And is quite alive yet.

f

Lively young fish!



G was a goat

Who was spotted with brown;

When he did not lie still

He walked up and down.

g

Good little goat!



H was a hat

Which was all on one side;

Its crown was too high,

And its brim was too wide.

h

Oh, what a hat!



I was some ice

So white and so nice,

But which nobody tasted;

And so it was wasted.

i

All that good ice!



J was a jackdaw

Who hopped up and down

In the principal street

Of a neighboring town.

j

All through the town!



K was a kite

Which flew out of sight,

Above houses so high,

Quite into the sky.

k

Fly away, kite!



L was a light

Which burned all the night,

And lighted the gloom

Of a very dark room.

l

Useful nice light!



M was a man,

Who walked round and round;

And he wore a long coat

That came down to the ground.

m

Funny old man!



N was a net

Which was thrown in the sea

To catch fish for dinner

For you and for me.

n

Nice little net!



O was an orange

So yellow and round;

When it fell off the tree,

It fell down to the ground.

o

Down to the ground!



P was a pig,

Who was not very big,

But his tail was too curly,

And that made him surly.

p

Cross little pig!



Q was a quail

With a very short tail;

And he fed upon corn

In the evening and morn.

q

Quaint little quail!



R was a rabbit,

Who had a bad habit

Of eating the flowers

In gardens and bowers.

r

Naughty fat rabbit!



S was the sugar-tongs,

Nippity-nee,

To take up the sugar

To put in our tea.

s

Nippity-nee!



T was a tortoise,

All yellow and black:

He walked slowly away,

And he never came back.

t

Torty never came back!



U was an urn

All polished and bright,

And full of hot water

At noon and at night.

u

Useful old urn!



V was a veil

With a border upon it,

And a ribbon to tie it

All round a pink bonnet.

v

Pretty green veil!



W was a whale

With a very long tail,

Whose movements were frantic

Across the Atlantic.

w

Monstrous old whale!



X was King Xerxes,

Who, more than all Turks, is

Renowned for his fashion

Of fury and passion.

x

Angry old Xerxes.



Y was a yew,

Which flourished and grew

By a quiet abode

Near the side of a road.

y

Dark little yew!



Z was a zebra,

All striped white and black;

And if he were tame,

You might ride on his back.

z

Pretty striped zebra!



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