Nobody knew; and nobody knows

How the Pobble was robbed of his twice five toes!

The Pobble who has no toes

Was placed in a friendly Bark,

And they rowed him back and carried him up
To his Aunt Jobiska's Park.

And she made him a feast at his earnest wish,
Of eggs and buttercups fried with fish;

And she said, "It's a fact the whole world knows,
That Pobbles are happier without their toes."
Edward Lear (1812-1888)

Thomas Hood, one of the best of English humorous poets, is now remembered chiefly for his serious poem, "The Bridge of Sighs." Like Shakespeare, Hood was too fond of that questionable form of humor, the pun; but if puns are at all allowable, Hood has the distinction of being the cleverest punster who ever wrote in verse. The following poem is a burlesque of sentimental and martial ballads as well as an excellent specimen of humorous

verse.

FAITHLESS NELLY GRAY

A Pathetic Ballad

Ben Battle was a soldier bold,
And used to war's alarms;
But a cannon-ball took off his legs,
So he laid down his arms!

Now as they bore him off the field,

Said he, "Let others shoot,

For here I leave my second leg,
And the Forty-second Foot!"

The army-surgeons made him limbs:
Said he, "They're only pegs:
But there's as wooden members quite
As represent my legs!"

Now Ben he loved a pretty maid,
Her name was Nelly Gray;
So he went to pay her his devours,
When he'd devoured his pay!

But when he called on Nelly Gray,
She made him quite a scoff;
And when she saw his wooden legs,
Began to take them off!

"Oh, Nelly Gray! Oh, Nelly Gray.
Is this your love so warm?
The love that loves a scarlet coat
Should be more uniform!"

Said she, "I loved a soldier once,
For he was blithe and brave;

But I will never have a man
With both legs in the grave!

"Before you had those timber toes, Your love I did allow,

But then, you know, you stand upon Another footing now!"

"Oh, Nelly Gray! Oh, Nelly Gray!

For all your jeering speeches,

At duty's call, I left my legs,
In Badajos's breaches!"

"Why then," said she, "you've lost the feet

Of legs in war's alarms,

And now you cannot wear your shoes
Upon your feats of arms!"

"Oh, false and fickle Nelly Gray!
I know why you refuse:-
Though I've no feet-some other man
Is standing in my shoes!

"I wish I ne'er had seen your face;
But, now, a long farewell!
For you will be my death;-alas!
You will not be my Nell!"

Now when he went from Nelly Gray,
His heart so heavy got―
And life was such a burthen grown,
It made him take a knot!

So round his melancholy neck,
A rope he did entwine,
And, for his second time in life,
Enlisted in the Line!

One end he tied around a beam,
And then removed his pegs,
And, as his legs were off, of course,
He soon was off his legs!

And there he hung till he was dead

As any nail in town,—

For though distress had cut him up,

It could not cut him down!

A dozen men sat on his corpse,

To find out why he died—

And they buried Ben in four cross-roads,

With a stake in his inside!

Thomas Hood (1799-1845)

No discussion of shorter, lighter poems would be complete without an example of the limerick. The author of "The Young Lady of Niger" is unknown.

There was a young lady of Niger
Who smiled as she rode on a Tiger;
They came back from the ride
With the lady inside,

And the smile on the face of the Tiger.

The parody is an exceptionally interesting variety of light verse. The better kind of parody burlesques not merely the rhythm and diction but also the sense. Phoebe Cary's parody on Goldsmith's well-known song (see Chapter III) is better than most of her serious poems.

WHEN LOVELY WOMAN WANTS A FAVOR

When lovely woman wants a favor,

And finds, too late, that man won't bend,
What earthly circumstance can save her
From disappointment in the end?

The only way to bring him over,
The last experiment to try,

Whether a husband or a lover,
If he have a feeling is-to cry.

Phoebe Cary (1824-1871)

Bret Harte is probably the best of American parodists. His parody of Whittier's "Maud Muller" is not merely funny; it exposes effectively the false sentiment of that popular poem. Hence it is sound criticism.

MRS. JUDGE JENKINS

(Being the Only Genuine Sequel to "Maud Muller”)

Maud Muller all that summer day
Raked the meadow sweet with hay;

Yet, looking down the distant lane,
She hoped the Judge would come again.

But when he came, with smile and bow,
Maud only blushed, and stammered, "Ha-ow?”

And spoke of her "pa," and wondered whether
He'd give consent they should wed together.

Old Muller burst in tears, and then
Begged that the Judge would lend him "ten";

For trade was dull, and wages low,

And the "craps," this year, were somewhat slow.

And ere the languid summer died,
Sweet Maud became the Judge's bride.

But on the day that they were mated,
Maud's brother Bob was intoxicated;