Part 1

CHINESE MOTHER GOOSE RHYMES

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 work 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

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