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diff --git a/12116-0.txt b/12116-0.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..66a0619 --- /dev/null +++ b/12116-0.txt @@ -0,0 +1,511 @@ +*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 12116 *** + +[Transcriber's Note: This book was first published in German in 1844, +and in English translation in 1848. This edition was not dated. Color +illustrations appear on every page, often "playing" with the text.] + + + + +STRUWWELPETER + +MERRY STORIES AND FUNNY PICTURES + +Heinrich Hoffman + + +Frederick Warne & Co., Inc. New York + + + +STRUWWELPETER + + +Merry Stories and +Funny Pictures + + + When the children have been good, + That is, be it understood, + Good at meal-times, good at play, + Good all night and good all day-- + They shall have the pretty things + Merry Christmas always brings. + + Naughty, romping girls and boys + Tear their clothes and make a noise, + Spoil their pinafores and frocks, + And deserve no Christmas-box. + Such as these shall never look + At this pretty Picture-book. + + + + +Shock-headed Peter + + + Just look at him! there he stands, + With his nasty hair and hands. + See! his nails are never cut; + They are grimed as black as soot; + And the sloven, I declare, + Never once has combed his hair; + Anything to me is sweeter + Than to see Shock-headed Peter. + + + + +Cruel Frederick + + + Here is cruel Frederick, see! + A horrid wicked boy was he; + He caught the flies, poor little things, + And then tore off their tiny wings, + He killed the birds, and broke the chairs, + And threw the kitten down the stairs; + And oh! far worse than all beside, + He whipped his Mary, till she cried. + + The trough was full, and faithful Tray + Came out to drink one sultry day; + He wagged his tail, and wet his lip, + When cruel Fred snatched up a whip, + And whipped poor Tray till he was sore, + And kicked and whipped him more and more: + At this, good Tray grew very red, + And growled, and bit him till he bled; + Then you should only have been by, + To see how Fred did scream and cry! + + So Frederick had to go to bed: + His leg was very sore and red! + The Doctor came, and shook his head, + And made a very great to-do, + And gave him nasty physic too. + + But good dog Tray is happy now; + He has no time to say "Bow-wow!" + He seats himself in Frederick's chair + And laughs to see the nice things there: + The soup he swallows, sup by sup-- + And eats the pies and puddings up. + + + + +The Dreadful Story of Harriet and the Matches + + + It almost makes me cry to tell + What foolish Harriet befell. + Mamma and Nurse went out one day + And left her all alone at play. + Now, on the table close at hand, + A box of matches chanced to stand; + And kind Mamma and Nurse had told her, + That, if she touched them, they would scold her. + But Harriet said: "Oh, what a pity! + For, when they burn, it is so pretty; + They crackle so, and spit, and flame: + Mamma, too, often does the same." + + The pussy-cats heard this, + And they began to hiss, + And stretch their claws, + And raise their paws; + "Me-ow," they said, "me-ow, me-o, + You'll burn to death, if you do so." + + But Harriet would not take advice: + She lit a match, it was so nice! + It crackled so, it burned so clear-- + Exactly like the picture here. + She jumped for joy and ran about + And was too pleased to put it out. + + The Pussy-cats saw this + And said: "Oh, naughty, naughty Miss!" + And stretched their claws, + And raised their paws: + "'Tis very, very wrong, you know, + Me-ow, me-o, me-ow, me-o, + You will be burnt, if you do so." + + And see! oh, what dreadful thing! + The fire has caught her apron-string; + Her apron burns, her arms, her hair-- + She burns all over everywhere. + + Then how the pussy-cats did mew-- + What else, poor pussies, could they do? + They screamed for help, 'twas all in vain! + So then they said: "We'll scream again; + Make haste, make haste, me-ow, me-o, + She'll burn to death; we told her so." + + So she was burnt, with all her clothes, + And arms, and hands, and eyes, and nose; + Till she had nothing more to lose + Except her little scarlet shoes; + And nothing else but these was found + Among her ashes on the ground. + + And when the good cats sat beside + The smoking ashes, how they cried! + "Me-ow, me-oo, me-ow, me-oo, + What will Mamma and Nursey do?" + Their tears ran down their cheeks so fast, + They made a little pond at last. + + + + +The Story of the Inky Boys + + + As he had often done before, + The woolly-headed Black-a-moor + One nice fine summer's day went out + To see the shops, and walk about; + And, as he found it hot, poor fellow, + He took with him his green umbrella, + Then Edward, little noisy wag, + Ran out and laughed, and waved his flag; + And William came in jacket trim, + And brought his wooden hoop with him; + And Arthur, too, snatched up his toys + And joined the other naughty boys. + So, one and all set up a roar, + And laughed and hooted more and more, + And kept on singing,--only think!-- + "Oh, Blacky, you're as black as ink!" + + Now tall Agrippa lived close by-- + So tall, he almost touched the sky; + He had a mighty inkstand, too, + In which a great goose-feather grew; + He called out in an angry tone + "Boys, leave the Black-a-moor alone! + For, if he tries with all his might, + He cannot change from black to white." + But, ah! they did not mind a bit + What great Agrippa said of it; + But went on laughing, as before, + And hooting at the Black-a-moor. + + Then great Agrippa foams with rage-- + Look at him on this very page! + He seizes Arthur, seizes Ned, + Takes William by his little head; + + And they may scream and kick and call, + Into the ink he dips them all; + Into the inkstand, one, two, three, + Till they are black as black can be; + Turn over now, and you shall see. + + See, there they are, and there they run! + The Black-a-moor enjoys the fun. + They have been made as black as crows, + Quite black all over, eyes and nose, + And legs, and arms, and heads, and toes, + And trousers, pinafores, and toys-- + The silly little inky boys! + Because they set up such a roar, + And teased the harmless Black-a-moor. + + + + +The Story of the Man that went out Shooting + + + This is the man that shoots the hares; + This is the coat he always wears: + With game-bag, powder-horn, and gun + He's going out to have some fun. + + He finds it hard, without a pair + Of spectacles, to shoot the hare. + The hare sits snug in leaves and grass, + And laughs to see the green man pass. + + Now, as the sun grew very hot, + And he a heavy gun had got, + He lay down underneath a tree + And went to sleep, as you may see. + And, while he slept like any top, + The little hare came, hop, hop, hop, + Took gun and spectacles, and then + On her hind legs went off again. + + The green man wakes and sees her place + The spectacles upon her face; + And now she's trying all she can + To shoot the sleepy, green-coat man. + He cries and screams and runs away; + The hare runs after him all day + And hears him call out everywhere: + "Help! Fire! Help! The Hare! The Hare!" + + At last he stumbled at the well, + Head over ears, and in he fell. + The hare stopped short, took aim and, hark! + Bang went the gun--she missed her mark! + + The poor man's wife was drinking up + Her coffee in her coffee-cup; + The gun shot cup and saucer through; + "Oh dear!" cried she; "what shall I do?" + There lived close by the cottage there + The hare's own child, the little hare; + And while she stood upon her toes, + The coffee fell and burned her nose. + "Oh dear!" she cried, with spoon in hand, + "Such fun I do not understand." + + + + +The Story of Little Suck-a-Thumb + + + One day Mamma said "Conrad dear, + I must go out and leave you here. + But mind now, Conrad, what I say, + Don't suck your thumb while I'm away. + The great tall tailor always comes + To little boys who suck their thumbs; + And ere they dream what he's about, + He takes his great sharp scissors out, + And cuts their thumbs clean off--and then, + You know, they never grow again." + + Mamma had scarcely turned her back, + The thumb was in, Alack! Alack! + + The door flew open, in he ran, + The great, long, red-legged scissor-man. + Oh! children, see! the tailor's come + And caught out little Suck-a-Thumb. + Snip! Snap! Snip! the scissors go; + And Conrad cries out "Oh! Oh! Oh!" + Snip! Snap! Snip! They go so fast, + That both his thumbs are off at last. + + Mamma comes home: there Conrad stands, + And looks quite sad, and shows his hands; + "Ah!" said Mamma, "I knew he'd come + To naughty little Suck-a-Thumb." + + + + +The Story of Augustus +who would not have any Soup + + + Augustus was a chubby lad; + Fat ruddy cheeks Augustus had: + And everybody saw with joy + The plump and hearty, healthy boy. + He ate and drank as he was told, + And never let his soup get cold. + But one day, one cold winter's day, + He screamed out "Take the soup away! + O take the nasty soup away! + I won't have any soup today." + + Next day, now look, the picture shows + How lank and lean Augustus grows! + Yet, though he feels so weak and ill, + The naughty fellow cries out still + "Not any soup for me, I say: + O take the nasty soup away! + I _won't_ have any soup today." + + The third day comes: Oh what a sin! + To make himself so pale and thin. + Yet, when the soup is put on table, + He screams, as loud as he is able, + "Not any soup for me, I say: + O take the nasty soup away! + I WON'T have any soup today." + + Look at him, now the fourth day's come! + He scarcely weighs a sugar-plum; + He's like a little bit of thread, + And, on the fifth day, he was--dead! + + + + +The Story of Fidgety Philip + + + "Let me see if Philip can + Be a little gentleman; + Let me see if he is able + To sit still for once at table": + Thus Papa bade Phil behave; + And Mamma looked very grave. + But fidgety Phil, + He won't sit still; + He wriggles, + And giggles, + And then, I declare, + Swings backwards and forwards, + And tilts up his chair, + Just like any rocking horse-- + "Philip! I am getting cross!" + + See the naughty, restless child + Growing still more rude and wild, + Till his chair falls over quite. + Philip screams with all his might, + Catches at the cloth, but then + That makes matters worse again. + Down upon the ground they fall, + Glasses, plates, knives, forks, and all. + How Mamma did fret and frown, + When she saw them tumbling down! + And Papa made such a face! + Philip is in sad disgrace. + + Where is Philip, where is he? + Fairly covered up you see! + Cloth and all are lying on him; + He has pulled down all upon him. + What a terrible to-do! + Dishes, glasses, snapt in two! + Here a knife, and there a fork! + Philip, this is cruel work. + Table all so bare, and ah! + Poor Papa, and poor Mamma + Look quite cross, and wonder how + They shall have their dinner now. + + + + +The Story of Johnny Head-in-Air + + + As he trudged along to school, + It was always Johnny's rule + To be looking at the sky + And the clouds that floated by; + But what just before him lay, + In his way, + Johnny never thought about; + So that every one cried out + "Look at little Johnny there, + Little Johnny Head-In-Air!" + + Running just in Johnny's way + Came a little dog one day; + Johnny's eyes were still astray + Up on high, + In the sky; + And he never heard them cry + "Johnny, mind, the dog is nigh!" + Bump! + Dump! + Down they fell, with such a thump, + Dog and Johnny in a lump! + + Once, with head as high as ever, + Johnny walked beside the river. + Johnny watched the swallows trying + Which was cleverest at flying. + Oh! what fun! + Johnny watched the bright round sun + Going in and coming out; + This was all he thought about. + So he strode on, only think! + To the river's very brink, + Where the bank was high and steep, + And the water very deep; + And the fishes, in a row, + Stared to see him coming so. + + One step more! oh! sad to tell! + Headlong in poor Johnny fell. + And the fishes, in dismay, + Wagged their tails and swam away. + + There lay Johnny on his face, + With his nice red writing-case; + But, as they were passing by, + Two strong men had heard him cry; + And, with sticks, these two strong men + Hooked poor Johnny out again. + + Oh! you should have seen him shiver + When they pulled him from the river. + He was in a sorry plight! + Dripping wet, and such a fright! + Wet all over, everywhere, + Clothes, and arms, and face, and hair: + Johnny never will forget + What it is to be so wet. + + And the fishes, one, two, three, + Are come back again, you see; + Up they came the moment after, + To enjoy the fun and laughter. + Each popped out his little head, + And, to tease poor Johnny, said + "Silly little Johnny, look, + You have lost your writing-book!" + + + + +The Story of Flying Robert + + + When the rain comes tumbling down + In the country or the town, + All good little girls and boys + Stay at home and mind their toys. + Robert thought, "No, when it pours, + It is better out of doors." + Rain it did, and in a minute + Bob was in it. + Here you see him, silly fellow, + Underneath his red umbrella. + + What a wind! oh! how it whistles + Through the trees and flowers and thistles! + It has caught his red umbrella: + Now look at him, silly fellow-- + Up he flies + To the skies. + No one heard his screams and cries; + Through the clouds the rude wind bore him, + And his hat flew on before him. + + Soon they got to such a height, + They were nearly out of sight. + And the hat went up so high, + That it nearly touched the sky. + No one ever yet could tell + Where they stopped, or where they fell: + Only this one thing is plain, + Bob was never seen again! + + + + + + + + +End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Struwwelpeter: Merry Tales and Funny +Pictures, by Heinrich Hoffman + +*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 12116 *** |