✦ The Poem ✦
The Quangle Wangle’s Hat
by Edward Lear, from Laughable Lyrics (1877). Public domain.
On the top of the Crumpetty Tree The Quangle Wangle sat, But his face you could not see, On account of his Beaver Hat. For his Hat was a hundred and two feet wide, With ribbons and bibbons on every side And bells, and buttons, and loops, and lace, So that nobody ever could see the face Of the Quangle Wangle Quee.
The Quangle Wangle said To himself on the Crumpetty Tree,— “Jam; and jelly; and bread; Are the best of food for me! But the longer I live on this Crumpetty Tree The plainer than ever it seems to me That very few people come this way And that life on the whole is far from gay!” Said the Quangle Wangle Quee.
But there came to the Crumpetty Tree, Mr. and Mrs. Canary; And they said,—“Did you ever see Any spot so charmingly airy? May we build a nest on your lovely Hat? Mr. Quangle Wangle, grant us that! O please let us come and build a nest Of whatever material suits you best, Mr. Quangle Wangle Quee!”
And besides, to the Crumpetty Tree Came the Stork, the Duck, and the Owl; The Snail, and the Bumble-Bee, The Frog, and the Fimble Fowl; (The Fimble Fowl, with a Corkscrew leg;) And all of them said,—“We humbly beg, We may build our homes on your lovely Hat,— Mr. Quangle Wangle, grant us that! Mr. Quangle Wangle Quee!”
And the Golden Grouse came there, And the Pobble who has no toes,— And the small Olympian bear,— And the Dong with a luminous nose. And the Blue Baboon, who played the flute,— And the Orient Calf from the Land of Tute,— And the Attery Squash, and the Bisky Bat,— All came and built on the lovely Hat Of the Quangle Wangle Quee.
And the Quangle Wangle said To himself on the Crumpetty Tree,— “When all these creatures move What a wonderful noise there’ll be!” And at night by the light of the Mulberry moon They danced to the flute of the Blue Baboon, On the broad green leaves of the Crumpetty Tree, And all were as happy as happy could be, With the Quangle Wangle Quee.