When We Were Very Young (4 page)

Nursery Chairs

One of the chairs is South America
,

One of the chairs is a ship at sea
,

One is a cage for a great big lion
,

And one is a chair for Me
.

THE FIRST CHAIR

When I go up the Amazon,

I stop at night and fire a gun

To call my faithful band.

And Indians in twos and threes,

Come silently between the trees,

And wait for me to land.

And if I do not want to play

With any Indians today,

I simply wave my hand.

And then they turn and go away—

They always understand.

THE SECOND CHAIR

I’m a great big lion in my cage,

And I often frighten Nanny with a roar.

Then I hold her very tight, and

Tell her not to be so frightened—

And she doesn’t be so frightened any more.

THE THIRD CHAIR

When I am in my ship, I see

The other ships go sailing by.

A sailor leans and calls to me

As his ship goes sailing by.

Across the sea he leans to me,

Above the winds I hear him cry:

“Is this the way to Round-the-World?”

He calls as he goes by.

THE FOURTH CHAIR

Whenever I sit in a high chair

For breakfast or dinner or tea,

I try to pretend that it’s
my
chair,

And that I am a baby of three.

Shall I go off to South America?

Shall I put out in my ship to sea?

Or get in my cage and be lions and tigers?

Or—shall I be only Me?

Market Square

I had a penny,

A bright new penny,

I took my penny

To the market square.

I wanted a rabbit,

A little brown rabbit,

And I looked for a rabbit

’Most everywhere.

For I went to the stall where they sold sweet lavender.

(“Only a penny for a bunch of lavender!”)

“Have you got a rabbit, ’cos I don’t want lavender?”

But they hadn’t got a rabbit, not anywhere there.

I had a penny,

And I had another penny,

I took my pennies

To the market square.

I did want a rabbit,

A little baby rabbit,

And I looked for rabbits

’Most everywhere.

And I went to the stall where they sold fresh mackerel.

(“Now then! Tuppence for a fresh-caught mackerel!”)

“Have you got a rabbit, ’cos I don’t like mackerel?”

But they hadn’t got a rabbit, not anywhere there.

I found a sixpence,

A little white sixpence.

I took it in my hand

To the market square.

I was buying my rabbit

(I do like rabbits),

And I looked for my rabbit

’Most everywhere.

So I went to the stall where they sold fine saucepans.

(“Walk up, walk up, sixpence for a saucepan!”)

“Could I have a rabbit, ’cos we’ve got two saucepans?”

But they hadn’t got a rabbit, not anywhere there.

I had nuffin’,

No, I hadn’t got nuffin’,

So I didn’t go down

To the market square;

But I walked on the common,

The old-gold common…

And I saw little rabbits

’Most everywhere!

So I’m sorry for the people who sell fine saucepans,

I’m sorry for the people who sell fresh mackerel,

I’m sorry for the people who sell sweet lavender,

’Cos they haven’t got a rabbit, not anywhere there!