Chinese Mother Goose Rhymes
Author: Unknown
Date: 2012-08-06T00:00:00+00:00
Keywords: Chinese poetry -- Translations into English; Nursery rhymes; Chinese

The Project Gutenberg eBook of Chinese Mother Goose Rhymes

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Title: Chinese Mother Goose Rhymes

Translator: Isaac Taylor Headland

Release date: August 6, 2012 [eBook #40425]

Language: English

Credits: Produced by David Edwards, Matthew Wheaton and the Online
Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This
file was produced from images generously made available
by The Internet Archive)

*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CHINESE MOTHER GOOSE RHYMES ***

CHINESE MOTHER GOOSE RHYMES

CHINESE MOTHER
GOOSE RHYMES

LITTLE ORIENTALS

Chinese Mother Goose Rhymes

TRANSLATED
AND
ILLUSTRATED
BY
ISAAC TAYLOR HEADLAND
OF PEKING UNIVERSITY.

Fleming H. Revell Company
New York Chicago Toronto

Copyright, 1900
By
Fleming H. Revell Company

PREFACE

There are probably more nursery rhymes in China than can be found in England and America. We have in our possession more than six hundred, collected, for the most part, in two out of the eighteen provinces, and we have no reason to believe that we have succeeded in getting any large proportion of what those two provinces contain.

In most of the rhymes there are features common to those of our own "Mother Goose," among which are those referring (1) to insects, (2) animals, (3) birds, (4) persons, (5) children, (6) food, (7) parts of the body, (8) actions, such as patting, grabbing, tickling, etc., (9) professions, trades and business.

We have tried to reproduce the meaning of the original as nearly as possible; this has not always been an easy task. Let it be understood that these rhymes make no pretentions to literary merit, nor has the translator made any attempt at regularity in the meter, because neither the original nor our own "Mother Goose" is regular. Our desire has been to make a translation which is fairly true to the original, and which will please English-speaking children. The child, not the critic, has always been kept in view.

Attention is called to the affection manifested in such rhymes as "Sweeter than Sugar," "Sweet Pill," "Little Fat Boy," and "Baby is Sleeping." There is no language in the world, we venture to believe, which contains children's songs expressive of more keen and tender affection than those we have mentioned. This fact, more than any other, has stimulated us in the preparation of these rhymes. They have been prepared with the hope that they will present a new phase of Chinese home life, and lead the children of the West to have some measure of sympathy and affection for the children of the East.

The compilation was much facilitated by the work done by Baron Vitali, of the Italian Legation in Peking; Rev. Arthur H. Smith, author of "Chinese Characteristics;" Miss Mabel Whiting, of Peking; Miss Mitchell, of Chinkiang; Mrs. McClure, of Honan; Miss Chalfant, of Shantung; Mr. Chao Tsz-chi, Chinese Consul at New York; Mr. Yamamoto, of Peking, and Rev. Chauncy Goodrich, of T'ung Chou, while the entire wor is due to the fact that our attention was called by Mrs. C. H. Fenn, of Peking, to her old nurse repeating these rhymes to her little boy.

The illustrations have all been prepared by the translator specially for this work.

I. T. H.

October, 1900

Table of contents

SWEETER THAN SUGAR
LITTLE SMALL-FEET
THE CRICKET
THE BUTTERFLY
OF WHAT USE IS A GIRL?
THE FIRE-FLY
COME AND PLAY
THE COW
GRANDPA FEEDS BABY
SWEET PILL
THE BAT
THE LITTLE BALDHEAD
A LITTLE GIRL'S WANTS
GO TO SLEEP
THE TALL MAN
BABY IS SLEEPING
LITTLE FAT BOY
THE DRUM ON THE GROUND
MILKY WAY
A LULLABY
THE SMALL STORE KEEPER
LADY-BUG
GO TO BED
THE NERVOUS MAN
THE SNAIL
THE WATERMAN
THE LAMB
OLD CHANG, THE CRAB
THE MOUSE
COMING FROM THE FAIR
WHAT THE OLD COW SAID
WHAT THE OLD CROW SAID
BEANS
THE SLOVENLY BOY
GRAB THE KNEE
THE PAGODA
THE LITTLE ORPHAN
MIXED
THE LITTLE GIRL'S DREAM
PAT A CAKE
THE GREAT WALL
A DILEMMA
CRUEL LITTLE GLUTTON
UNFORTUNATE
THE BRIDE
A BAD BOY
THE CROWS
FRIENDS OF THE HOUSE
MY TEACHER AND I
BUMP
A RIDDLE
THE CAKE SELLER
THE UNGRATEFUL SON
DEBTOR
THE MISCHIEVOUS BOY
THE RICE SELLER
CHICKEN SKIN
GRINDING FLOUR
THE FARMER'S GUIDE
PULLING THE SAW
THE DOCTOR'S PRESCRIPTION
LITTLE BOUND FEET
THE FAT MERCHANT
KITE FLYING
WHAT IS IT?
YELLOW DOG
GET UP
THE BALD OLD WOMAN
THE CLOTHES VENDER
MAMA'S BOY
THE CAKE SELLER
THE SPIDER
THE SMALL PUG DOG
THE LITTLE BOY
THE MAGICIAN
RIDE A COCK HORSE
THE LITTLE SISTER
A RIDDLE
THE BRIDE
POUNDING RICE
OUR BABY
BEAN SPROUTS
THE LITTLE GIRL
VISITORS
SHOE-MAKER
TWO WONDERS
DO AS YOU OUGHT
MY NEPHEW
RED PEPPER FLOWER
DON'T BE CRUEL
FLOWER POT
A NEW BABY
THE DEAD CICADA
BROTHER WANTS FRUIT
THE OLD WOMAN
FROGGIE
THE LAZY WOMAN
THE TIDY WOMAN
E NI ME NI MI NI MO
FINGER TEST
TEN FINGERS
FACE GAME
THE FLOWER SELLER
MAKING A FLOWER POT
WATERING THE FLOWERS
BALD HEAD LEE
THE KING WILL WANT YOU
DON'T STEAL
THE SHREW
A MISTAKE
THE BLIND MAN
A TRAGEDY IN THREE ACTS
PULLING THE SAW
THISTLE-SEED
THE LITTLE STUDENT
THE FIVE FINGERS
THE FIVE FINGERS
OLD MOTHER WIND
WASH
EIGHT BALD-HEADS
TURNING THE MILL
SWALLOW'S NEST
THE LOCUST TREES
THE WEDDING
THE PIG-STYE
THE CAMEL-BACK BRIDGE
THE SENSES
CAKE BAKING
WEDDING FEAST
ROAST PORK
GOING TO TOWN
THE MISCHIEVOUS SISTER-IN-LAW
BUYING A LOCK
FORCING THE CITY GATES
HOME ON THE MOUNTAIN
FAMILY NEEDS
MY BOAT
OLD GRANNY CHANG
BLIND MAN'S BUFF
THE FIVE TOES

SWEETER THAN SUGAR

MY little baby,little boy blue,

Is as sweet as sugar and cinnamon too;
Isn't this precious darling of ours
Sweeter than dates and cinnamon flowers?

LITTLE SMALL-FEET

THE small-footed girl
With the sweet little smile,

She loves to eat sugar
And sweets all the while.
Her money's all gone
And because she can't buy,
She holds her small feet
While she sits down to cry.

THE CRICKET

ON the top of a mountain

A hemp stock was growing,

And up it a cricket was climbing.

I said to him, "Cricket,

Oh where are you going?"

He answered: "I'm going out dining."

THE BUTTERFLY

AWAY goes the butterfly,

To catch it I will never try;

The butterfly's about to 'light,

I would not have it if I might.

OF WHAT USE IS A GIRL?

WE keep a dog to watch the house,

A pig is useful, too;

We keep a cat to catch a mouse,

But what can we do

With a girl like you?

THE FIRE-FLY

FIRE- fly, fire-fly,

Come from the hill,

Your father and mother

Are waiting here still;

They've brought you some sugar,

Some candy and meat,

Come quick, or I'll give it

To baby to eat.

COME AND PLAY

LITTLE baby, full of glee,

Won't you come and play with me?

Strike the stick and kick the ball,

And at the pic-nic place we'll call.

And you shall come and eat with me,

And you shall come and drink my tea.

When I invite you thus to play,

How is it that you run away?

THE COW

THERE'S a cow on the mountain."

The old saying goes,

On her legs are four feet;

On her feet are eight toes;

Her tail is behind

On the end of her back,

And her head is in front

On the end of her neck.

GRANDPA FEEDS BABY

GRANDPA holds the baby,

He's sitting on his knee

Eating mutton dumplings

With vinegar and tea.

Then grandpa says to baby,

"When you have had enough,

You'll be a saucy baby

And treat your grandpa rough."

SWEET PILL

MY big son,

My own boy,

Baby is a sweet pill

That fills my soul with joy.

THE BAT

BAT, bat, with your flowered shoes,

Come to us here in the room,

This little girl will be the bride,

And I will be the groom.

THE LITTLE BALDHEAD

YOU dear little baby,

Don't you cry;

Your father's drawing water

In the south, near by,

A red tasseled hat

He wears on his head;

Your mother's in the kitchen

Making up bread.

Walk a step, walk a step,

Off he goes,

See from his shoe-tips

Peep three toes.

A LITTLE GIRL'S WANTS

I WANT some thread,

Both green and red;

I want a needle long;

I want some strands

For ankle bands,

To give to Mrs. Wang.

GO TO SLEEP

THE tree leaves are murmuring hua-la-la,

Baby's very sleepy and wants his mama;

Go to sleep, my baby, and then go to bed,

And any bogie-boo that comes,

I'll knock him on the head.

THE TALL MAN

OH dear! oh dear! just see how far

His head is from his feet!

So far indeed he has to bend

When e'er he wants to eat.

And when he wants to fight a man

He lifts him up anon,

And when he wants to wash his face

He pours the water on.

BABY IS SLEEPING

MY baby is sleeping,

My baby's asleep,

My flower is resting,

I'll give you a peep;

How cunning he looks

As he rests on my arm!

My flower's most charming

Of all them that charm.

LITTLE FAT BOY

WHAT a bonnie little fellow is this fat boy of mine!

He makes people die of joy!

What a fine little fellow is this fat boy of mine!

Now whose is this loving little boy?

Do you want to buy a beauty?

Do you want to buy a beauty?

If you buy him he will watch your house,

And do it as his duty.

And no matter as to servants,

You may have them or may not,

But you'll never need to lock your door

Or give your house a thought.

THE DRUM ON THE GROUND

THE drum on the ground is so round, so round,

My mother just whipped me so sound, so sound,

And I, oh dear, am as floating grass here,

But I'll only remain a year, a year.

A husband I'd love and serve so true,

I'd worship his gods, that's what I'd do,

And I'd call his mother my mother, too!

You naughty girl, what's that you'd do?

I was saying the beans are boiling nice,

And its just about time to add the rice.

MILKY WAY

WHEN e're the Milky Way you spy

Diagonal across the sky,

The egg-plant you may safely eat,

And all your friends to melons treat.

But when divided toward the west,

You'll need your trousers and your vest;

When like a horn you see it float,

You'll need your trousers and your coat.

A LULLABY

THE heaven is bright,

The earth is bright,

I have a baby who cries all night;

Let those who pass read what I write,

And they'll sleep all night,

Till broad daylight.

THE SMALL STORE KEEPER

A WEE little boy

Has opened a store,

In two equal parts

Are his front door,

A wee little table,

A wee little chair,

And ebony chop-sticks

And plate are there.

LADY-BUG

LADY-BUG, lady-bug,

Fly away, do,

Fly to the mountain,

And feed upon dew,

Feed upon dew

And sleep on a rug,

And then run away

Like a good little bug.

GO TO BED

LITTLE baby, go to bed,

We'll put a hoop around your head,

And with the oil we get thereby,

Our little bean-cake we will fry.

And when we've fried our bean-cake brown,

We'll see the king go into town,

An iron cap upon his head;

Now-you-must-surely-go-to-bed.

THE NERVOUS MAN

A NERVOUS disposition

He had when he was born,

To hurry to a fair one day,

He rose at early morn;

Put on his wife's green trousers

And started to the sale,

A riding on a donkey—

His face turned toward its tail.

THE SNAIL

LITTLE snail, little snail,

With your hard, stony bed,

First stick out your horns,

Then stick out your head.

Your father and mother

Have brought you some food,

Fried liver and mutton,

Now isn't that good?

And now, little snail,

Just as sure as I say

You must eat it at once,

Or I'll take it away.

Oh where is the little snail gone, I pray tell?

He has drawn himself up, head and horns, in his shell.

THE WATERMAN

MY brother waterman,

Listen, I request,

On the south river bank

You sit and rest.

When the day is bright,

You carry all you can;

And when the day is dark,

You're a lazy old man.

THE LAMB

IT jumped the chequered wall,

The bleating little lamb,

And snatched a bunch of grass

To feed its hungry dam.

OLD CHANG, THE CRAB

OLD Mr. Chang, I've oft heard it said,

You wear a basket upon your head;

You've two pairs of scissors to cut your meat,

And two pairs of chopsticks with which you eat.

THE MOUSE

HE climbed up the candlestick,

The little mousey brown,

To steal and eat tallow,

And he couldn't get down.

He called for his grandma,

But his grandma was in town,

So he doubled up into a wheel

And rolled himself down.

COMING FROM THE FAIR

COMING from the fair!

Coming from the fair!

We bought a little bottle

For our baby over there;

Alas! for we broke it,

And we tried to buy another,

But the shops were all closed,

So we hurried home to mother.

WHAT THE OLD COW SAID

A SAD old cow to herself once said,

While the north wind whistled through her shed:

"To head a drum they will take my skin,

And they'll file my bones for a big hair-pin,

The scraps of bone they will make into dice,

And sell them off at a very low price;

My sinews they'll make into whips, I wot,

And my flesh they'll put in a big soup pot."

WHAT THE OLD CROW SAID

AN old black crow sat on a tree,

And there he sat and said to me:

"Ho, Mr. Wang, there's a sheep on the hill,

Which I wish very much you would catch and kill;

You may eat meat three times a day,

And I'll eat the parts that you throw away."

BEANS

PULL up your black beans,

Pull up your brown,

Then light your lamp

When the sun goes down.

THE SLOVENLY BOY

IF you wear your hat on the side of your head,

You'll have a lazy wife 'tis said,

If a slouchy coat and slipshod feet,

You'll have a wife who loves to eat.

GRAB THE KNEE

ONE grab silver,

Two grabs gold,

Three, don't laugh

And you'll grow old.

THE PAGODA

THE dragon pagoda,

It touches the sky,

The dragon pagoda,

Thirteen stories high.

THE LITTLE ORPHAN

LIKE a little withered flower,

That is dying in the earth,

I am left alone at seven,

By her who gave me birth.

With my papa I was happy,

But I feared he'd take another,

And now my papa's married,

And I have a little brother.

And he eats good food,

While I eat poor,

And cry for my mother,

Whom I'll see no more.

MIXED

JUST outside my door, I heard someone say,

A man bit a dog in a dangerous way;

Such a message I n'er for a moment could stand,

So I took up the door and I opened my hand,

I snatched up the dog I should say double-quick

And threw him with all of my force at a brick;

The brick—I'm afraid you will not understand—

I found in a moment had bitten my hand;

I mounted a chair, on a horse I was borne,

I blew on a drum, and I beat on a horn.

THE LITTLE GIRL'S DREAM

THERE was a little girl and she dreamed, folks say,

That her future mother-in-law came one day,

And gold and plated presents brought,

And a flowered gown and embroidered coat.

PAT A CAKE

PAT a cake, pat a cake,

Little girl fair,

There's a priest in the temple

Without any hair.

You take a tile,

And I'll take a brick,

And we'll hit the priest

In the back of the neck.

THE GREAT WALL

THE wily Emperor, Ch'in Shih Huang,

He built a wall both great and strong;

The steps were narrow, but the wall was stout,

So it kept the troublesome Tartars out.

A DILEMMA

HARD worm beans

Without any bother,

A wife he has married

And doesn't want his mother.

He must leave his mother,

Or quarrel with his wife,

And thus they are separated

All their life.

CRUEL LITTLE GLUTTON

HE ate too much,

That second brother,

And when he had eaten

He beat his mother.

UNFORTUNATE

HE pulled up the wick

With the candlestick knife,

And found he had married

A bald-headed wife.

Her eyes were askew,

And her mouth was awry,

And the silly old fellow

Was so mad he could cry.

THE BRIDE

A NEWLY made kettle is bright,

A newly bought pig is a bother,

A new married wife will not eat,

But cries and thinks of her mother.

A BAD BOY

THERE was a little fellow,

Who was mischievous, they say,

They sent him to the melon-patch

To watch it all the day.

They told him he must stay there

Till the melons all were white,

And not come home to mama,

Not even in the night.

THE CROWS

LOOK at the white-breasted crows overhead!

My father shot once, and ten crows tumbled dead.

When boiled or when fried, they taste very good,

But skin them, I tell you, there's no better food.

FRIENDS OF THE HOUSE

THE thieving old magpie has taken our food,

The chicken eats millet as if it were good,

The faithful old watch-dog looks after the house,

And the cat has come over to catch us a mouse.

MY TEACHER AND I

AS the sun came up, a ball of red,

My teacher rode on his horse ahead,

While I followed close on my dragon steed,

He by
the street.

and I by
the mead.

BUMP

BUMP, bump go away,

Do not let our mama see;

If she sees you on baby's head,

She'll give no money for nurse's bread.

A RIDDLE

A PLUM blossom foot,

And a pudding face sweet,

He's taller when he's sitting

Than when standing on his feet.

THE CAKE SELLER

MY pretty little son,

I love him best of all,

Three years I have not seen him,

And he's grown so very tall.

My horse he can ride,

My knife he can take,

Can shoulder up my kneading board

And help me sell my cake.

THE UNGRATEFUL SON

THE tail of one magpie's as long as another,

He married a wife and he gave up his mother,

When asked by his mother to buy her some cake,

He wanted to know how much money 'twould take;

When his wife wanted pears he saddled his beast,

And started to market to buy her a feast;

He took off the peeling with very great airs,

And asked her politely to have a few pears.

DEBTOR

THE magpie sells his bean-curd dear.

If you owe me,

Then you I would see

On just five days from the end of the year.

THE MISCHIEVOUS BOY

THIS mischievous boy

Is jumping around,

On his head is a candlestick

Weighing a pound;

He is able to play

All the nine kinds of tricks,

From the bell and the foot-ball

To wood-ball and sticks.

THE RICE SELLER

SOMEONE is knocking loud at the door,

The dog is making a great uproar;

Now I inquire, who can it be?

'Tis only a donkey-man I see,

Calling out at the top of his voice:

Here's the place to get your rice,

Coarse rice or fine,

Just to your mind,

Rice in the husk,

Or cleaned by the wind.

CHICKEN SKIN

I WENT ten steps outside the gate,

Which brought me to the ditches,

And there I found some chicken skin,

To mend my leather breeches;

If there had been no chicken skin,

I could not mend my trousers thin.

GRINDING FLOUR

WE push the mill,

The flour we make,

And then for grandma

A cake we'll bake.

THE FARMER'S GUIDE

IN Spring, plant the turnip,

In summer, the beet,

When harvest is over,

We sow the buckwheat.

PULLING THE SAW

WE pull the big saw,

We push the big saw,

To saw up the wood,

To build us a house,

In order that baby

May have a good spouse.

THE DOCTOR'S PRESCRIPTION

A PURSE, a purse, for better or worse,

Indeed, would you know it, I've married a purse.

My wife's little daughter once fell very ill,

And we called for a doctor to give her a pill;

He wrote a prescription which now we will give her,

In which he has ordered a mosquito's liver,

And then in addition the heart of a flea,

And half pound of fly wings to make her some tea.

LITTLE BOUND FEET

THERE was a little girl,

Who would run upon the street,

She took rice and changed it

For good things to eat.

Her mother lost control of her

Until she bound her feet,

But now she's just as good a girl

As you will ever meet.

THE FAT MERCHANT

THE
big
fat
merchant,

He opened up a stall,

But had to sell his trousers

To get the capital.

KITE FLYING

THERE were two little sisters went walking one day,

Partly for exercise—partly for play,

Their kites they took with them they wanted to fly,

Were a big centipede and a big butterfly;

In a very few moments they floated up high,

Like a dragon that seemed to be touching the sky.

WHAT IS IT?

IT has both nose and eyes,

But it has not breathed since birth,

It cannot go to heaven,

And it will not stay on earth.

YELLOW DOG

YELLOW dog, yellow dog,

You stay and watch,

While I gather roses

In the south rose-patch.

GET UP

THE day has come,

I hear the cock;

Get up and dress,

'Tis six o'clock.

THE BALD OLD WOMAN

ON the top of the mount,

By the road, on a stone—

Or a big pile of bricks—

Sat a bald-headed crone.

On her head were three hairs,

Which you'll reckon were thin,

In which she was trying

To wear a jade pin.

She put it in once,

But once it fell out;

She put it in twice,

But twice it fell out.

But the old woman said,

"I know what I'm about,

I'll not put it in

And it cannot fall out."

THE CLOTHES VENDER

WHILE out selling clothes,

As our uncle must do,

He married a wife

Who is aunt to us two.

She loves to eat cake,

As you'll readily see,

For she's left but a half one

For brother and me.

MAMA'S BOY

DO not fear, do not fear,

We'll put the pants on mama's dear,

Do not cry, do not cry,

We'll put the coat on mama's boy.

THE CAKE SELLER

ROUND bean cakes with red spots bright,

The blind who eat them receive their sight;

They cure the deaf and heal the lame,

And preserve the teeth of the aged dame.

The bald who eat them grow a cue,

And the priest can read his bible through,

They help the Taoist a seat to take.

Their virtues are many—buy my cake.

The man who eats fears not his wife,

And the woman works better all her life.

THE SPIDER

OH, my dear brother spider,

With your stomach big and red,

From the eaves you are hanging

On a single little thread.

THE SMALL PUG DOG

THE small pug dog,

It jumped over there;

It has no tail,

And it has no hair.

It never will bark,

If a stranger come,

But runs here and there

Like a dog that is dumb.

THE LITTLE BOY

THE little boy,

He bought some oil,

But fell and spilled it

On the soil.

His mother said:

You careless lad,

I'll box your ears,

Because
you're
bad.

THE MAGICIAN

A BIG, dead snake is lying there,

It has no ears and it has no hair;

I breathe on it some magic air,

And it
lives
and is
running
everywhere.

RIDE A COCK HORSE

UP you go,

Down you see,

Granny's come

To pour the tea;

The tea is sweet,

The wine is too;

There are eighteen camels

With clothes for you,

The clothes are heavy,

And the dragon-fly

Has spurted water

On your ankle-tie.

Sister, sister,

Stop your fuss,

To-morrow the cart

Will come for us;

What cart, you ask,

The cart, of course,

With large, red wheels,

And a big, white horse;

And in it a beautiful girl, I note,

With a squirrel cloak and an otter coat,

Her betel-nut bag is a needle-worked charm,

And the stem of her pipe is as long as your arm.

THE LITTLE SISTER

MY little golden sister

Rides a golden horse slow,

And we'll use a golden whip

If the horse doesn't go.

A little gold fish

In a gold bowl, we see,

And a gold colored bird

On a gold blossomed tree.

A gold plated god

In a gold temple stands,

With a gold plated baby

In her gold plated hands.

A RIDDLE

A COCK'S comb flower he wears on his head.

For his clothes he needs neither thimble nor thread;

Though you be a great man, I'd have you know,

Ten thousand doors would open if he should crow.

THE BRIDE

THE moon shines bright,

The moon shines fair,

The girl wants wedding gifts to wear in her hair;

A few blocks of powder,

Some incense tips,

And two hundred rouge-pads to paint cheeks and lips.

POUNDING RICE

POUND, pound,

Pound the rice,

The pestle goes up and down so nice,

Open the pot,

The fire is hot,

And if you don't eat

I'll feed
you rice.

OUR BABY

MRS. Chang, Mrs. Lee,

Mama has a small baby;

Stands up firm,

Sits up straight,

Won't eat milk,

But lives on cake.

BEAN SPROUTS

GOOD bean sprouts,

The water dropping out;

Where's the wife that dares to drive her husband's father out?

He'd take up a stick,

And hit her a lick,

And she could only shake her sleeve and run off quick.

THE LITTLE GIRL

THE little girl

Sits on the stool,

And sews the shoe

And beats the sole.

VISITORS

THE wolf has come,

The tiger has come,

The old priest follows,

Beating a drum.

SHOE-MAKER

HE stitches the heel,

And he stitches the sole,

Two measures of millet he gets for the whole;

They steam it, or fry it,

When hungry they feel,

And he eats with his mother a very good meal.

TWO WONDERS

ALL come and see!

All come and see!

A black hen laid a white egg for me!

Oh, look there!

Oh, look there!

A great, big rat all covered with hair!

DO AS YOU OUGHT

IN the first month, when it is night,

If you are wise, your lamp you'll light;

And when the second month you meet,

If you are hungry you should eat;

And in the third month most of all,

To build a house you must lay a wall.

MY NEPHEW

MY nephew is a naughty boy,

He comes here every day,

He eats until he's very full,

And then he runs away.

RED PEPPER FLOWER

A RED pepper flower,

Ling, ling, ling,

Mama will listen

And baby will sing.

DON'T BE CRUEL

A MULE going up hill,

A donkey on the street,

Or a horse coming down hill

You never ought to beat.

FLOWER POT

A WEE little flower-pot, very deep green,

With just the sweetest flowers that ever were seen;

Mother with her babies playing very funny,

Father doing business, making lots of money,

Grandpa very old, but never going to die,

Grandma just as bright as a star in the sky.

A NEW BABY

A GILT-WOOD mace,

And silvered things,

My grandfather plays,

And grandmother sings;

My grandmother sings till broad daylight,

And a baby comes to our home at night;

They place the child by the pot on the ground,

And it eats rice soup with a sucking sound.

THE DEAD CICADA

THE rain has come

And has overflowed,

The dew and the frost

Are on the road.

The last of the grass

Has drooped its head,

The cicada is on it,

Frozen dead.

BROTHER WANTS FRUIT

MY dear little brother,

Is fat and is round,

A bracelet he wears on his arm,

A red chest protector,

A green pair of pants,

Keep him neither too cool nor too warm.

A small tuft of hair

On the side of his head,

In his cheeks dainty dimples that suit;

When he toddles he trembles,

To sister he says:

"Tum an' buy itty bothy some f'uit."

THE OLD WOMAN

THERE was an old woman,

As I have heard tell,

She went to sell pie,

But her pie would not sell.

She hurried back home,

But her door-step was high,

And she stumbled and fell

And a dog ate her pie.

FROGGIE

FROGGIE, old froggie,

Come over to me;

You'll never go back

To your home in the sea.

You're an idle old croker

As ever I saw,

And if not calling papa,

You're calling mama.

THE LAZY WOMAN

tHE lazy woman

She sweeps the floor,

And leaves the dirt

Inside the door.

She cooks her rice

In a dirty pot,

And sleeps at night

On an old straw cot.

THE TIDY WOMAN

THE tidy woman

Is always clean,

No dirt in her home

Is ever seen.

Her food is fit

For a king to eat,

And her hair and clothes

Are
always
neat.

E NI ME NI MI NI MO

ONE, two, three, and an old cow's eye,

When a cow's eye's blind she'll surely die;

A piece of skin and a melon, too,

If you have money

I'll sell to you;

But if you're without,

I'll put you out.

FINGER TEST

YOU strike three times on the top, you see,

And strike three times on the bottom for me,

Then top and bottom you strike very fast,

And open a door in the middle at last.

TEN FINGERS

THREE horses are drinking,

Three horses are feeding,

The two men are fighting,

The old woman pleading,

The baby is crying,

But no one is heeding.

FACE GAME

KNOCK at the door,

See a face,

Smell an odor,

Hear a voice,

Eat your dinner,

Pull your chin, or

Ke chih, ke chih.

THE FLOWER SELLER

FLOWERS for sale,

Flowers for sale,

Come, buy my flowers,

Before they get stale.

MAKING A FLOWER POT

YOU first cross over and then cross back,

And step in the well as you cross the track,

And then there is something else you do,

Oh, yes, you make a flower-pot too.

WATERING THE FLOWERS

I WATER the flowers, I water the flowers,

I water them morning and evening hours,

I never wait till the flowers are dry,

I water them e'er the sun is high;

A basin of water, a basin of tea,

I water the flowers, they're op'ning, you see;

A basin of water, another beside,

I water the flowers, they're opening wide.

BALD HEAD LEE

THERE once was a bald-head, his name it was Lee,

No one ever burned so much incense as he;

Now, people burn incense to get them an heir,

But baldy burned incense to get him some hair.

When he found in three days all his hair had returned,

He the god gave a coat and more incense he burned;

When he found in three days all his hair had dropped out,

He upset the god and he kicked him about.

Then the god became angry and took up a sword,

And made into dippers that bald-headed gourd.

THE KING WILL WANT YOU

WHEN the leaves are green,

And full of life,

The king will want you

For his wife.

When the leaves are yellow

From time and tide,

The king will want you

For his bride.

DON'T STEAL

IF you steal a needle,

Or steal a thread,

A pimple will grow

Upon your head;

If you steal a dog

Or steal a cat,

A pimple will grow

Beneath your hat.

THE SHREW

ALL over the ground the old black woman rolled,

And for not buying powder her husband did scold;

He bought her some powder, which she would not use,

And for not buying hemp him she'd soundly abuse;

He bought her some hemp, but she only got worse,

And scolded because he had not bought a horse;

He bought her a horse but she never would feed it,

And scolded because 'twas a clothes-press she needed;

He bought her a clothes-press, but nothing she packed,

And scolded because twas a rope that she lacked;

He bought her a rope and she hung herself dead,

And frightened her husband near out of his head.

A MISTAKE

A SCARRED-EYED man,

He went to the fair,

He picked up a turnip

And thought it was a pear;

He took a big bite,

But found it was bitter,

And, oh, what a pity,

He threw it in the gutter.

THE BLIND MAN

OLD Mr. blind man, come here quick,

I see you carry a feeling-stick;

To the river side you take your way,

And feed the froggies every day;

A frog, one day, stuck out his head,

And bit your toe, I've heard it said.

A TRAGEDY IN THREE ACTS

A SMALL boy came from the south of the farm,

With a bamboo basket upon his arm,

With mutton bones was the basket filled,

From a sheep which his folks that day had killed.

A monkey came from a pile of stones

To steal that boy's fresh mutton bones,

But a big, spotted dog followed close at his heels,

To bite a bad monkey whenever he steals.

A half of a brick lay there on the road,

It upset the boy and he spilt out his load,

The dog bit the monkey, the monkey ran away,

The boy broke his basket and cried all day.

PULLING THE SAW

WE pull the big saw,

And we push it out straight,

There's a Punch and a Judy

At grandmother's gate,

Our sisters and brothers

Invite to the show,

And all of us, even

The baby, shall go.

THISTLE-SEED

THISTLE-SEED, thistle-seed,

Fly away, fly,

The hair on your body

Will take you up high;

Let the wind whirl you

Around and around,

You'll not hurt yourself

When you fall to the ground.

THE LITTLE STUDENT

WHILE raking the hay on the mountain,

A student came riding along,

He was riding a dapple-gray pony,

And singing a scrap of a song.

To the home of his bride he was going,

But her father and mother were out,

And he saw, as he pushed the door open,

The girl he was thinking about.

Her cheeks were as pink as a rose-bud,

Her teeth were as white as a pearl,

Her lips were as red as a cherry,

Most truly a beautiful girl.

THE FIVE FINGERS

AGREAT big brother,

And a little brother, so,

A big bell tower,

And a temple and a show,

And little baby wee wee,

Always wants to go.

THE FIVE FINGERS

THIS one's old,

This one's young,

This one has no meat,

This one's gone

To buy some hay,

And this one's on the street.

OLD MOTHER WIND

OLD Mother Wind

Come this way,

And make our baby

Cool to-day.

WASH

WASH your face, you little tease,

And you'll be free from all disease;

Wash your head, your face, and throat,

And you shall have a red silk coat.

EIGHT BALD-HEADS

A BALD-HEAD is sick,

And the second's afraid,

The third calls a doctor,

The fourth gives him aid.

By the fifth he is borne,

By the sixth he is buried,

The seventh comes crying

Because he is worried.

When asked by an eighth,

Why it was that he cried,

He said, "In my home,

A dear bald-head has died."

"Come, bury him quickly,

I fear a great hoard

Of the seeds of his spirit

Will spring from his gourd."

TURNING THE MILL

THE big dog's gone to the city,

The little dog's run away,

The egg has fallen and broken,

And the oil leaked out, they say,

But you be a roller,

And hull with power,

And I'll be a mill-stone

And grind the flour.

SWALLOW'S NEST

PAT, pat,

A swallow's nest we'll make,

And if we pat some money out

We'll buy ourselves a cake.

THE LOCUST TREES

THE locust trees,

See how they grow!

Here in their shade

We will have a show.

Other people's children

All have come,

But my little girl

Is still at home.

Just as I speak,

She is coming along,

Riding a donkey

And singing a song.

Her parasol open

She holds in her hand,

Her hair is done up

In a neat little band.

THE WEDDING

BEAT the drum, beat the drum,

We're coming in a chair,

Who will clear the way

For the girl that's coming here?

Beat the drum, beat the drum,

See, the chair is coming,

Ho'rh ho! clear the way!

Don't you hear the drumming?

THE PIG-STYE

ON the top of a mountain

There stands a pig-stye

And the fighting of parents

Has made the child cry.

Baby, baby,

Don't you cry,

Wait, and I'll whip

The old man by-and-by.

THE CAMEL-BACK BRIDGE

IF you chance to be crossing

The camel-back bridge,

Each step leads you up

Till you come to the ridge.

The lantern-grass floats

On the pond like a sail,

The silver-fish bites

At the gold-fish's tail.

The big-bellied frog

Sitting there on the rock,

Keeps constantly calling

Wa'rh wa, wa'rh wa.

THE SENSES

LITTLE eyes see pretty things,

Little nose smells what is sweet,

Little ears hear pleasant sounds,

Mouth likes luscious things to eat.

CAKE BAKING

WE turn the cake,

The cake we bake,

We put in oil, or pork, or steak

And when 'tis done,

We'll have some fun,

And give a piece to every one.

WEDDING FEAST

A BIG cow's horn

We will blow, blow, blow,

To our sister's wedding feast

We will go, go, go.

Who will drive the cart?

My big brother;

Who will eat the feast?

A sister of my mother.

Who will pack her trunk?

My sister, whom you saw;

Who will light the fire?

Her own mother-in-law.

ROAST PORK

ROAST, roast, Roast pig meat,

The second pot smells bad,

The big pot is sweet;

Come,

Mrs. Wang,
please,

And eat
pig meat.

GOING TO TOWN

UP you go, down you see,

Here's a turnip for you and me,

Here's a pitcher, we'll go to town,

Oh, what a pity we've fallen down;

What do you see in the heavens bright?

I see the moon and the stars at night;

What do you see in the earth, pray tell?

I see in the earth a deep, deep well;

What do you see in the well, my dear?

I see a frog, and his voice I hear;

What is he saying there on the rock?

Get up, get up; ke'rh kua, ke'rh kua.

THE MISCHIEVOUS SISTER-IN-LAW

OH the pumpkin red, oh the gourd decayed,

I am my father's mischievous maid;

I am my brother's dear little sister;

I am my sister-in-law's fly-blister.

Father, when I marry, what will you give?

A box and a ward-robe you shall receive.

Mother, when I marry, what will you bring?

A little work-basket full of everything.

Brother, when I marry, what will come from you?

A fancy cloth towel; think that will do?

My happiness, sister, you will not mar?

I'll give a broken bottle and a little smashed jar,

And send you, you nuisance, away very far.

BUYING A LOCK

OH, here we all go to buy us a lock,

What kind of a lock shall it be?

We'll buy one of silver or buy one of gold,

But what shall we use as a key?

We'll use a broom handle; if that will not do,

With a poker we'll try it alone;

But if neither the broom nor the poker will do,

We will open it then with a stone.

FORCING THE CITY GATES

HE stuck a feather in his hat,

And hurried to the town,

And children met him with a horse,

For the gates
were
broken
down.

HOME ON THE MOUNTAIN

ON a very high mountain

A family dwell,

Of ten of their rooms,

Nine of them fell.

The old man comes out

With a great deal of trouble;

His wife hobbles after,

Her body bent double.

Their three-legged dog

Is as thin as a rail,

And their rat-fearing cat

Is minus a tail.

FAMILY NEEDS

YOU'LL find whene'er the new year come,

The kitchen god will want a plum;

The girls will want some flowers new,

The boys will want some crackers, too;

A new felt cap will please papa,

And sugar-cake will please mama.

MY BOAT

MY boat is turned up at both ends,

All storms it encounters it weathers

On its body you'll find not a board,

But covered all over with feathers.

We daily re-load it with rice,

'Tis admired by all whom we meet,

You will find not a crack in my boat,

But you'll find underneath it two feet:

A duck.

OLD GRANNY CHANG

KNOCKING, knocking, who's at the door?

Old Granny Chang, and nothing more.

Why don't you enter, granny, dear?

The dog will bite me, child, I fear.

What are you shaking there at your feet?

A string of garlic, good to eat.

What are you carrying under your arm?

An old fur cloak to keep me warm.

Why don't you put the cloak on, granny?

Fear the insects will bite me, sonny.

Why don't your husband kill such a pest?

My husband's gone to the land of rest.

Where is the old man's burial spot?

There, in the fire-place, under the pot.

Why don't you cry for your husband true?

Old pot! old pan!! old man!!! boo-hoo!!!!

BLIND MAN'S BUFF

A PEACOCK feather

On a plum-tree limb,

You catch me,

And

I'll
catch
him.

THE FIVE TOES

THIS little cow eats grass,

This little cow eats hay,

This little cow drinks water,

This little cow runs away,

This little cow does nothing,

But just lie down all day;

We'll whip her.

SEVENTEEN HUNDRED BABIES

Printed in the United States of America

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Table of Contents

CHINESE MOTHER GOOSE RHYMES
Table of contents
SWEETER THAN SUGAR
LITTLE SMALL-FEET
THE CRICKET
THE BUTTERFLY
OF WHAT USE IS A GIRL?
THE FIRE-FLY
COME AND PLAY
THE COW
GRANDPA FEEDS BABY
SWEET PILL
THE BAT
THE LITTLE BALDHEAD
A LITTLE GIRL'S WANTS
GO TO SLEEP
THE TALL MAN
BABY IS SLEEPING
LITTLE FAT BOY
THE DRUM ON THE GROUND
MILKY WAY
A LULLABY
THE SMALL STORE KEEPER
LADY-BUG
GO TO BED
THE NERVOUS MAN
THE SNAIL
THE WATERMAN
THE LAMB
OLD CHANG, THE CRAB
THE MOUSE
COMING FROM THE FAIR
WHAT THE OLD COW SAID
WHAT THE OLD CROW SAID
BEANS
THE SLOVENLY BOY
GRAB THE KNEE
THE PAGODA
THE LITTLE ORPHAN
MIXED
THE LITTLE GIRL'S DREAM
PAT A CAKE
THE GREAT WALL
A DILEMMA
CRUEL LITTLE GLUTTON
UNFORTUNATE
THE BRIDE
A BAD BOY
THE CROWS
FRIENDS OF THE HOUSE
MY TEACHER AND I
BUMP
A RIDDLE
THE CAKE SELLER
THE UNGRATEFUL SON
DEBTOR
THE MISCHIEVOUS BOY
THE RICE SELLER
CHICKEN SKIN
GRINDING FLOUR
THE FARMER'S GUIDE
PULLING THE SAW
THE DOCTOR'S PRESCRIPTION
LITTLE BOUND FEET
THE FAT MERCHANT
KITE FLYING
WHAT IS IT?
YELLOW DOG
GET UP
THE BALD OLD WOMAN
THE CLOTHES VENDER
MAMA'S BOY
THE CAKE SELLER
THE SPIDER
THE SMALL PUG DOG
THE LITTLE BOY
THE MAGICIAN
RIDE A COCK HORSE
THE LITTLE SISTER
A RIDDLE
THE BRIDE
POUNDING RICE
OUR BABY
BEAN SPROUTS
THE LITTLE GIRL
VISITORS
SHOE-MAKER
TWO WONDERS
DO AS YOU OUGHT
MY NEPHEW
RED PEPPER FLOWER
DON'T BE CRUEL
FLOWER POT
A NEW BABY
THE DEAD CICADA
BROTHER WANTS FRUIT
THE OLD WOMAN
FROGGIE
THE LAZY WOMAN
THE TIDY WOMAN
E NI ME NI MI NI MO
FINGER TEST
TEN FINGERS
FACE GAME
THE FLOWER SELLER
MAKING A FLOWER POT
WATERING THE FLOWERS
BALD HEAD LEE
THE KING WILL WANT YOU
DON'T STEAL
THE SHREW
A MISTAKE
THE BLIND MAN
A TRAGEDY IN THREE ACTS
PULLING THE SAW
THISTLE-SEED
THE LITTLE STUDENT
THE FIVE FINGERS
THE FIVE FINGERS
OLD MOTHER WIND
WASH
EIGHT BALD-HEADS
TURNING THE MILL
SWALLOW'S NEST
THE LOCUST TREES
THE WEDDING
THE PIG-STYE
THE CAMEL-BACK BRIDGE
THE SENSES
CAKE BAKING
WEDDING FEAST
ROAST PORK
GOING TO TOWN
THE MISCHIEVOUS SISTER-IN-LAW
BUYING A LOCK
FORCING THE CITY GATES
HOME ON THE MOUNTAIN
FAMILY NEEDS
MY BOAT
OLD GRANNY CHANG
BLIND MAN'S BUFF
THE FIVE TOES
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