Read the book: «Mother Goose or the Old Nursery Rhimes»

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Cover designer Алексей Борисович Козлов

Compiler Алексей Борисович Козлов

© Алексей Борисович Козлов, cover design, 2025

© Алексей Борисович Козлов, compiler, 2025

ISBN 978-5-0065-5362-0

Created with Ridero smart publishing system

There was an old man of Tobago

There was an old man of Tobago,

Who lived on rice, gruel, and sago;

Till, much to his bliss,

His physician said this —

«To a leg, sir, of mutton you may go.»

Old Mother Goose

 
Old Mother Goose, when
She wanted to wander,
Would ride through the air
On a very fine gander.
Mother Goose had a house,
‘Twas built in a wood,
Where an owl at the door
For sentinel stood.
This is her son Jack,
A plain-looking lad,
He is not very good,
Nor yet very bad.
She sent him to market,
A live goose he bought,
“Here, mother,” says he,
“It will not go for nought.”
Jack’s goose and her gander
Grew very fond,
They’d both eat together,
Or swim in one pond.
Jack found one fine morning
As I have been told,
His goose had laid him
An egg of pure gold.
Jack rode to his mother,
The news for to tell,
She called him a good boy
And said it was well.
Jack sold his gold egg
To a rogue of a Jew,
Who cheated him out of
The half of his due.
Then Jack went a-courting
A lady so gay, As fair as the lily,
And sweet as the May.
The Jew and the Squire
Came behind his back,
And began to be labour
The sides of poor Jack.
And then the gold egg
Was thrown into the sea,
When Jack he jumped in,
And got it back presently.
The Jew got the goose,
Which he vowed he would kill,
Resolving at once
His pockets to fill.
Jack’s mother came in,
And caught the goose soon,
And mounting its back,
Flew up to the moon.
 

Boys and girls, come out to play

 
The moon does shine as bright as day,
Leave your supper, and leave your sleep,
And meet your playfellows in the street;
 Come with a whoop, and come with a call,
And come with a good will, or not at all.
Up the ladder and down the wall,
A halfpenny loaf will serve us all.
You find milk and I’ll find flour,
And we’ll have a pudding in half an hour.
 

Tom Tumbs Alphabet

 
A was an Archer, who shot at a frog.
B was a Butcher, who had a great dog.
C was a Captain, all covered with lace.
D was a Drummer, who played with a grace.
E was an Esquire with pride on his brow.
F was a Farmer, who followed the plough.
G was a Gamester, who had but ill-luck.
H was a Hunter, who hunted a buck.
I was an Italian, who had a white mouse.
 J was a Joiner, who built up a house.
K was a King, so mighty and grand.
L was a Lady, who had a white hand.
M was a Miser, who hoarded up gold.
N was a Nobleman, gallant and bold.
O was an Organ-Boy, who played for his bread.
P a Policeman, of bad boys the dread.
Q was a Quaker, who would not bow down.
R was a Robber, who prowled about town.
S was a Sailor, who spent all he got.
T was a Tinker, who mended a pot.
U was an Usher, with dunces severe.
V was a Veteran, who never knew fear.
W was a Waiter, with dinners in store.
X was Expensive, and so became poor.
Y was a Youth, who did not like school.
Z was a Zany, who looked a great fool.
 

The Walrus and the Carpenter

 
The sun was shining on the sea,
Shining with all his might:
He did his very best to make
The billows smooth and bright—
And this was odd, because it was
The middle of the night.
The moon was shining sulkily,
Because she thought the sun
Had got no business to be there
After the day was done—
“It’s very rude of him,” she said,
“To come and spoil the fun!”
The sea was wet as wet could be,
The sands were dry as dry.
You could not see a cloud, because
No cloud was in the sky:
No birds were flying overhead—
There were no birds to fly.
The Walrus and the Carpenter
Were walking close at hand;
They wept like anything to see
Such quantities of sand:
“If this were only cleared away,”
They said, “it would be grand!”
“If seven maids with seven mops
Swept it for half a year,
Do you suppose,” the Walrus said,
“That they could get it clear?”
“I doubt it,” said the Carpenter,
And shed a bitter tear.
“O Oysters, come and walk with us!”
The Walrus did beseech.
“A pleasant walk, a pleasant talk,
Along the briny beach:
We cannot do with more than four,
To give a hand to each.”
The eldest Oyster looked at him,
But never a word he said:
The eldest Oyster winked his eye,
And shook his heavy head—
Meaning to say he did not choose
To leave the oyster-bed.
But four young Oysters hurried up,
All eager for the treat:
Their coats were brushed, their faces washed,
Their shoes were clean and neat—
And this was odd, because, you know,
They hadn’t any feet. Four other
Oysters followed them,
And yet another four;
And thick and fast they came at last,
And more, and more, and more—
All hopping through the frothy waves,
And scrambling to the shore.
The Walrus and the Carpenter
Walked on a mile or so,
And then they rested on a rock
Conveniently low:
And all the little Oysters stood
And waited in a row.
“The time has come,” the Walrus said,
“To talk of many things:
Of shoes – and ships – and sealing-wax—
Of cabbages – and kings—
And why the sea is boiling hot—
And whether pigs have wings.”
“But wait a bit,” the Oysters cried,
“Before we have our chat;
For some of us are out of breath,
And all of us are fat!”
“No hurry!” said the Carpenter.
They thanked him much for that.
“A loaf of bread,” the Walrus said,
“Is what we chiefly need:
Pepper and vinegar besides
Are very good indeed—
Now if you’re ready,
Oysters dear,
We can begin to feed.”
“But not on us!” the Oysters cried,
Turning a little blue.
“After such kindness, that would be
A dismal thing to do!”
“The night is fine,” the Walrus said.
“Do you admire the view?
“It was so kind of you to come!
And you are very nice!”
The Carpenter said nothing but
“Cut us another slice:
I wish you were not quite so deaf—
I’ve had to ask you twice!”
“It seems a shame,” the Walrus said,
 “To play them such a trick,
After we’ve brought them out so far,
And made them trot so quick!”
The Carpenter said nothing but
“The butter’s spread too thick!”
“I weep for you,” the Walrus said:
“I deeply sympathize.”
With sobs and tears he sorted out
Those of the largest size,
Holding his pocket-handkerchief
Before his streaming eyes.
“O Oysters,” said the Carpenter,
“You’ve had a pleasant run!
Shall we be trotting home again?”
But answer there came none—
And this was scarcely odd, because
They’d eaten every one.
 
– Lewis Carroll.

A Man Went Hunting at Reigate

 
A man went hunting at Reigate,
And wished to jump over a high gate;
Says the owner, “Go round,
With your horse and your hound,
For you never shall leap over my gate.”
 

Humpty-Dumpty

 
Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall;
All the king’s horses, and all the king’s men,
Couldn’t set Humpty Dumpty up again.
 

“There was an Owl Lived in an Oak”

 
There was an Owl lived in an oak,
Whiskey, Whaskey, Weedle;
And all the words he ever spoke
Were Fiddle, Faddle, Feedle.
A sportsman chanced to come that way,
Whiskey, Whaskey, Weedle;
Says he, “I’ll shoot you, silly bird,
So Fiddle, Faddle, Feedle!”
 

Four and twenty tailors

 
Four and twenty tailors went to kill a snail,
The best man amongst them durst not touch her tail.
She put out her horns, like a little Kyloe cow,
Run, tailors, run, or she’ll kill you all just now.
 

Good King Arthur

 
When good King Arthur ruled this land,
He was a goodly King;
He bought three pecks of barley-meal,
To make a bag-pudding.
A bag-pudding the King did make,
 And stuffed it well with plums,
And in it put great lumps of fat,
As big as my two thumbs.
The King and Queen did eat thereof,
And noblemen beside;
And what they could not eat that night,
 

Market

 
To market, to market, to buy a fat pig,
Home again, home again, jiggety jig.
To market, to market, to buy a fat hog,
Home again, home again, jiggety jog.
 

Hot cross buns

 
Hot cross buns, hot cross buns,
One a penny, two a penny,
Hot cross buns.
If your daughters don’t like them,
Give them to your sons,
One a penny, two a penny, Hot cross buns.
 

Rusty, dusty

 
Oh, the rusty, dusty, rusty miller,
I’ll not change my wife for gold or siller.
 

Who Stole the Bird’s-Nest?

 
To-whit! to-whit! to-whee!
Will you listen to me?
Who stole four eggs I laid,
And the nice nest I made?
Not I, said the cow, moo-oo!
Such a thing I’d never do.
I gave you a wisp of hay,
But did not take your nest away;
Not I, said the cow, moo-oo!
Such a thing I’d never do.
Bob-o-link! Bob-o-link!
Now, what do you think?
Who stole a nest away
From the plum-tree to-day?
Not I, said the dog, bow-wow!
I wouldn’t be so mean,
 I vow. I gave some hairs the nest to make,
But the nest I did not take;
Not I, said the dog, bow-wow!
I would not be so mean,
I vow. Coo-coo! coo-coo! coo-coo!
Let me speak a word or two:
Who stole that pretty nest
From little Robin Redbreast?
Not I, said the sheep; oh, no,
I would not treat a poor bird so;
I gave the wool the nest to line,
But the nest was none of mine.
Baa! baa! said the sheep; oh, no!
I wouldn’t treat a poor bird so.
Caw! caw! cried the crow,
I should like to know
What thief took away
A bird’s-nest to-day.
Chuck! chuck! said the hen,
Don’t ask me again; Why,
 I haven’t a chick
Would do such a trick.
We all gave her a feather,
And she wove them together.
I’d scorn to intrude
On her and her brood.
Chuck! chuck! said the hen,
Don’t ask me again.
Chirr-a-whirr! chirr-a-whirr!
We will make a great stir.
Let us find out his name,
And all cry – For shame!
A little boy hung down his head,
And went and hid behind the bed;
For he stole that pretty nest
From little Robin Redbreast;
And he felt so full of shame
He did not like to tell his name.
 

“There was a Jolly Miller.”

 
There was a jolly miller
Lived on the river Dee:
He worked and sang from morn till night,
No lark so blithe as he.
And this the burden of his song
For ever used to be—
I care for nobody – no! not I,
 Since nobody cares for me.
 

THE QUEEN OF HEARTS

 
The Queen of Hearts
She made some tarts
All on a summer’s day;
The Knave of Hearts
He stole those tarts,
And took them clean away.
The King of Hearts
Called for the tarts,
And beat the Knave full sore;
 The Knave of Hearts
Brought back the tarts,
And vowed he’d steal no more.
There were three crows sat on a stone,
Fal la, la la lal de,
Two flew away, and then there was one,
Fal la, la la lal de,
The other crow finding himself alone,
 Fal la, la la lal de,
He flew away, and then there was none,
Fal la, la la lal de.
 

Dickery, Dare

 
Dickery, dickery, dare,
The pig flew up in the air;
The man in brown soon brought him down,
Dickery, dickery, dare.
 

A little man

 
There was a little man, and he had a little gun,
And his bullets were made of lead, lead, lead;
He shot Johnny King through the middle of his wig,
And knocked it right off his head, head, head.
Three straws on a staff,
Would make a baby cry and laugh.
Multiplication is vexation,
Division is as bad;
The Rule of Three perplexes me,
And Practice drives me mad.
Daffy-down-Dilly has come up to town,
In a yellow petticoat and a green gown.
 

Molly, my sister

 
Molly, my sister, and I fell out,
And what do you think it was about?
She loved coffee, and I loved tea,
And that was the reason we couldn’t agree.
 

Solomon Grundy

 
Solomon Grundy,
Born on a Monday,
Christened on Tuesday,
Married on Wednesday,
Very ill on Thursday,
Worse on Friday,
Died on Saturday,
Buried on Sunday.
This is the end
Of Solomon Grundy.
 

Jack Sprat

 
Jack Sprat could eat no fat,
His wife could eat no lean;
And so betwixt them both, you see,
They licked the platter clean.
 

The free excerpt has ended.

Age restriction:
12+
Release date on Litres:
27 February 2025
Volume:
60 p. 1 illustration
ISBN:
9785006553620
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