Contents -BIBLIOGRAPHIC RECORD

Bliss Carman, et al., eds. The World’s Best Poetry. 1904.

Poems of Home: III. Fun for Little Folk

Mr. and Mrs. Spikky Sparrow

Edward Lear (1812–1888)

ON a little piece of wood

Mr. Spikky Sparrow stood:

Mrs. Sparrow sate close by,

A-making of an insect-pie

For her little children five,

In the nest and all alive;

Singing with a cheerful smile,

To amuse them all the while,

“Twikky wikky wikky wee,

Wikky bikky twikky tee,

Spikky bikky bee!”

Mrs. Spikky Sparrow said,

“Spikky, darling! in my head

Many thoughts of trouble come,

Like to flies upon a plum.

All last night, among the trees,

I heard you cough, I heard you sneeze;

And thought I, ‘It ’s come to that

Because he does not wear a hat!’

Chippy wippy sikky tee,

Bikky wikky tikky mee,

Spikky chippy wee!

“Not that you are growing old;

But the nights are growing cold.

No one stays out all night long

Without a hat: I ’m sure it ’s wrong!”

Mr. Spikky said, “How kind,

Dear, you are, to speak your mind!

All your life I wish you luck!

You are, you are, a lovely duck!

Witchy witchy witchy wee,

Twitchy witchy witchy bee,

Tikky tikky tee!

“I was also sad, and thinking,

When one day I saw you winking,

And I heard you sniffle-snuffle,

And I saw your feathers ruffle:

To myself I sadly said,

‘She ’s neuralgia in her head!

That dear head has nothing on it!

Ought she not to wear a bonnet?’

Witchy kitchy kitchy wee,

Spikky wikky mikky bee,

Chippy wippy chee!

“Let us both fly up to town:

There I ’ll buy you such a gown!

Which, completely in the fashion,

You shall tie a sky-blue sash on;

And a pair of slippers neat

To fit your darling little feet,

So that you will look and feel

Quite galloobious and genteel.

Jikky wikky bikky see,

Chicky bikky wikky bee,

Twitchy witchy wee!”

So they both to London went,

Alighting on the Monument;

Whence they flew down swiftly—pop!

Into Moses’ wholesale shop:

There they bought a hat and bonnet,

And a gown with spots upon it,

A satin sash of Cloxam blue,

And a pair of slippers too.

Zikky wikky mikky bee,

Witchy witchy mitchy kee,

Sikky tikky wee!

Then, when so completely dressed,

Back they flew, and reached their nest.

Their children cried, “O ma and pa!

How truly beautiful you are!”

Said they, “We trust that cold or pain

We shall never feel again;

While, perched on tree or house or steeple,

We now shall look like other people.

Witchy witchy witchy wee,

Twikky mikky bikky bee,

Zikky sikky tee!”