Mother Goose's Bicycle Tour

Chapter 14: HUMPETY DUMPETY.

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About This Book

The collection frames a lighthearted bicycle tour taken by an elderly rhyming hostess and her goose, using that journey to present a wide assortment of nursery verses, parodies, and short poems. Familiar jingles and character pieces alternate with comic vignettes, riddles, and enigmata, often interspersed with French phrases and playful foreign allusions. Stanzas range from sing-song originals to humorous rewrites, accompanied by occasional scene-setting lines and a glossary. The overall tone is whimsical and theatrical, aimed at young readers through melodic rhythm, visual suggestion, and gentle absurdity.

HUMPETY DUMPETY.

Humpety Dumpety sat on a wall;

Humpety Dumpety had a great fall.

All the King’s horses

Et l’armée du roi

Couldn’t make Humpety Dumpety

Ce qu’il était autrefois.

TAFFY WAS A WELSHMAN.

Taffy was a Welshman,

Taffy was a thief,

Taffy coura chez moi

And stole a leg of beef.

I went to Taffy’s house,

Taffy wasn’t at home,

Taffy coura chez moi

And stole a marrow bone.

I went to Taffy’s house,

Taffy was in bed,

Je pris vite le savouret,

And beat him on the head.