Part 2

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

A great 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.

_Printed in the United States of America_

Transcriber's Note:

Special formatting to match illustrated pages removed.