When We Were Very Young
When We Were Very Young
When We Were Very Young
Author: A. A. Milne
Language: English
iv
HALF
WAY DOWN
v
when
we were very
young
by
a.a.milne
vi Copyright, 1924
By E. P. DUTTON COMPANY
vii TO
CHRISTOPHER ROBIN MILNE
OR
AS HE PREFERS TO CALL HIMSELF
BILLY MOON
THIS BOOK
WHICH OWES SO MUCH TO HIM
IS NOW
HUMBLY OFFERED
ix JUST BEFORE WE BEGIN
A. A. M.
xi CONTENTS
PAGE
CORNER-OF-THE-STREET 1
BUCKINGHAM PALACE 2
HAPPINESS 4
THE CHRISTENING 5
PUPPY AND I 6
TWINKLETOES 9
BROWNIE 14
INDEPENDENCE 15
NURSERY CHAIRS 16
MARKET SQUARE 21
DAFFODOWNDILLY 28
WATER-LILIES 29
DISOBEDIENCE 30
SPRING MORNING 34
THE ISLAND 36
POLITENESS 41
JONATHAN JO 43
AT THE ZOO 46
RICE PUDDING 48
MISSING 52
xii AT HOME 62
SUMMER AFTERNOON 65
SAND-BETWEEN-THE-TOES 73
THE MIRROR 79
HALFWAY DOWN 81
THE INVADERS 82
BEFORE TEA 83
TEDDY BEAR 85
IN THE FASHION 95
THE ALCHEMIST 96
GROWING UP 97
IF I WERE KING 98
VESPERS* 99
* This poem being in the Library of the
Queen’s Dolls’ House, is printed here by special
permission.
1
CORNER-OF-THE-STREET
2
BUCKINGHAM PALACE
Says Alice.
Says Alice.
Says Alice.
Says Alice.
Says Alice.
4
HAPPINESS
John had
Great Big
Waterproof
Boots on;
John had a
Great Big
Waterproof
Hat;
John had a
Great Big
Waterproof
Mackintosh—
And that
(Said John)
Is
That.
5
THE CHRISTENING
And on—
And on.
6 PUPPY AND I
We got talking,
Man and I.
We got talking,
Horse and I.
We got talking,
Woman and I.
We got talking,
Rabbits and I.
We got talking,
Puppy and I.
Then I pass
On the grass
Tip-toe, tip-toe!
Here I go!
10
THE FOUR FRIENDS
13
BROWNIE
I never did, I never did, I never did like “Now take care, dear!”
I never did, I never did, I never did think much of “Not up there,
dear!”
16 NURSERY CHAIRS
21 MARKET SQUARE
I had a penny,
I wanted a rabbit,
’Most everywhere.
I took my pennies
’Most everywhere.
25 I found a sixpence,
A little white sixpence.
I took it in my hand
(I do like rabbits),
’Most everywhere.
27 I had nuffin’,
So I didn’t go down
To the market square;
’Most everywhere!
“Winter is dead.”
29
WATER-LILIES
To and fro,
I will! I will!
Wait! Wait!
To and fro,
Dipping, dipping,
30 DISOBEDIENCE
James James
Morrison Morrison
Weatherby George Dupree
Took great
James James
“You must never go down to the end of the town, if you don’t go
down with me.”
James James
Morrison’s Mother
James James
Morrison’s Mother
James James
Morrison’s Mother
“I can get right down to the end of the town and be back in time
for tea.”
31 King John
Put up a notice,
JAMES JAMES
MORRISON’S MOTHER
LAST SEEN
WANDERING VAGUELY:
Morrison Morrison
Told his
Other relations
James James
Morrison’s mother
King John
King John
J.J.
M. M.
W. G. Du P.
Took great
J.J.
“You-must-never-go-down-to-the-end-of-the-town-if-you-don’t-go-
down-with ME!”
34
SPRING MORNING
THE ISLAND
If I had a ship,
“There’s nobody else in the world, and the world was made for
me.”
And they didn’t wear coats, and they didn’t wear trousies.
40
They went to a Fair, and they all won prizes—
But they didn’t wear coats and they didn’t wear trousies,
And they didn’t wear stockings and they didn’t wear sockses.
41
POLITENESS
I always answer,
I always answer,
If they ask me
Politely. . . .
BUT SOMETIMES
I wish
43 JONATHAN JO
Jonathan Jo
There are lions and roaring tigers, and enormous camels and
things,
But I gave buns to the elephant when I went down to the Zoo!
But I gave buns to the elephant when I went down to the Zoo!
And lions and roaring tigers hate saying, “How do you do?”—
But I give buns to the elephant when I go down to the Zoo!
48
RICE PUDDING
52
MISSING
53
The Dairymaid:
The Dairymaid,
The Dairymaid
Said, “Certainly,
The cow
Now
Before she goes to bed.”
56 The Dairymaid
She curtsied,
The Alderney:
The Alderney
Said sleepily:
“You’d better tell
His Majesty
Like marmalade
Instead.”
57 The Dairymaid
Said, “Fancy!”
And went to
Her Majesty
“Excuse me,
Your Majesty,
For taking of
The liberty,
Thickly
Spread.”
“Oh!”
And went to
His Majesty:
Many people
Think that
Marmalade
Is nicer.
Marmalade
Instead?”
58 The King said,
“Bother!”
“Nobody,”
He whimpered,
“Could call me
A fussy man;
I only want
A little bit
Of butter for
My bread!”
“There, there!”
And went to
The Dairymaid.
The Dairymaid
“There, there!
I didn’t really
Mean it;
And brought it to
His Majesty;
“Butter, eh?”
“Nobody,” he said,
As he kissed her
Tenderly,
“Nobody,” he said,
As he slid down
The banisters,
“Nobody,
My darling,
Could call me
A fussy man—
BUT
Hoppity, hoppity,
Couldn’t go anywhere . . .
Hoppity, hoppity,
Hoppity,
Hoppity,
Hop.
62
AT HOME
I want a soldier
(A soldier in a busby),
I want a soldier
A garden,
A garden,
A may-tree,
A may-tree,
A blackbird,
A blackbird,
Nobody
Liked it,
(When he’d said “Ninety-nine”) that he’d tried and he’d tried,
They took out their spades and they dug up the bed
“And now,” said the Doctor, “we’ll soon have you right.”
70
71
SHOES AND STOCKINGS
Hammer.
Chatter.
73
SAND-BETWEEN-THE-TOES
We had sand in the eyes and the ears and the nose,
Christopher is certain of
Sand-between-the-toes.
We had sand in the eyes and the ears and the nose,
Christopher is certain of
Sand-between-the-toes.
Sand-between-the-toes.
75
KNIGHTS AND LADIES
Little Bo-Peep?
Bo-Peep?”
Little Bo-Peep!”
Boy Blue?”
Little Bo-Peep?
Bo-Peep?”
Little Bo-Peep.”
Boy Blue?”
Little Bo-Peep?
Bo-Peep?”
Little Bo-Peep.”
“Where are we going to live,
Boy Blue?”
Little Bo-Peep.
Bo-Peep.”
Little Bo-Peep.”
79
THE MIRROR
81 HALFWAY DOWN
Is a stair
Where I sit.
Other stair
Quite like
It.
Where
I always
Stop.
Isn’t up,
Anywhere!
82
THE INVADERS
83
BEFORE TEA
Emmeline
Has not been seen
“Emmeline,
I didn’t mean—
But Emmeline
84 Emmeline
Unfortunately I forget.”
Next morning (nose to window-pane)
He’d collect the passing villagers and kick them in the pond.
93
Sir Brian woke one morning, and he couldn’t find his battleaxe;
He had gone a hundred paces, when the street was full of faces,
And the villagers were round him with ironical salutes.
They pulled him out and dried him, and they blipped him on the
head.
They took him by the breeches, and they hurled him into ditches,
And they pushed him under waterfalls, and this is what they said:
94
Sir Brian took his fighting boots, and threw them in the fire.
95
IN THE FASHION
¹ So as not to go to sleep.
97
GROWING UP
98
IF I WERE KING
99
VESPERS
The last line of the first stanza of Bad Sir Brian Botany has been
indented for consistency with subsequent stanzas.
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