When We Were Very Young. A. A. Milne

come. So I thought to myself one fine day, walking with my friend Christopher Robin, “Moo rhymes with Pooh! Surely there is a bit of poetry to be got out of that?” Well, then, I began to think about the swan on his lake; and at first I thought how lucky it was that his name was Pooh; and then I didn’t think about that any more…and the poem came quite differently from what I intended…and all I can say for it now is that, if it hadn’t been for Christopher Robin, I shouldn’t have written it; which, indeed, is all I can say for any of the others. So this is why these verses go about together, because they are all friends of Christopher Robin; and if I left out one because it was not quite like the one before, then I should have to leave out the one before because it was not quite like the next, which would be disappointing for them.

      Then there is another thing. You may wonder sometimes who is supposed to be saying the verses. Is it the Author, that strange but uninteresting person, or is it Christopher Robin, or some other boy or girl, or Nurse, or Hoo? If I had followed Mr. Wordsworth’s plan I could have explained this each time; but, as it is, you will have to decide for yourselves. If you are not quite sure, then it is probably Hoo. I don’t know if you have ever met Hoo, but he is one of those curious children who look four on Monday, and eight on Tuesday, and are really twenty-eight on Saturday, and you never know whether it is the day when he can pronounce his “r’s.” He had a great deal to do with these verses. In fact, you might almost say that this book is entirely the unaided work of Christopher Robin, Hoo, and Mr. Shepard, who drew the pictures. They have said “Thank you” politely to each other several times, and now they say it to you for taking them into your house. “Thank you so much for asking us. We’ve come.”

      A.A.M.

      Corner-of-the-Street

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      Down by the corner of the street,

      Where the three roads meet,

      And the feet

      Of the people as they pass go “Tweet-tweet-tweet—”

      Who comes tripping round the corner of the street?

      One pair of shoes which are Nurse’s;

      One pair of slippers which are Percy’s…

      Tweet! Tweet! Tweet!

      Buckingham Palace

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      They’re changing guard at Buckingham Palace—

      Christopher Robin went down with Alice.

      Alice is marrying one of the guard.

      “A soldier’s life is terrible hard,”

      Says Alice.

      They’re changing guard at Buckingham Palace—

      Christopher Robin went down with Alice.

      We saw a guard in a sentry-box.

      “One of the sergeants looks after their socks,”

      Says Alice.

      They’re changing guard at Buckingham Palace—

      Christopher Robin went down with Alice.

      We looked for the King, but he never came.

      “Well, God take care of him, all the same,”

      Says Alice.

      They’re changing guard at Buckingham Palace—

      Christopher Robin went down with Alice.

      They’ve great big parties inside the grounds.

      “I wouldn’t be King for a hundred pounds,”

      Says Alice.

      They’re changing guard at Buckingham Palace—

      Christopher Robin went down with Alice.

      A face looked out, but it wasn’t the King’s.

      “He’s much too busy a-signing things,”

      Says Alice.

      They’re changing guard at Buckingham Palace—

      Christopher Robin went down with Alice.

      “Do you think the King knows all about me?”

      “Sure to, dear, but it’s time for tea,”

      Says Alice.

      Happiness

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      John had

      Great Big

      Waterproof

      Boots on;

      John had a

      Great Big

      Waterproof

      Hat;

      John had a

      Great Big

      Waterproof

      Mackintosh—

      And that

      (Said John)

      Is That.

      The Christening

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      What shall I call

      My dear little dormouse?

      His eyes are small,

      But his tail is e-nor-mouse.

      I sometimes call him Terrible John,

      ’Cos his tail goes on—

      And on—

      And on.

      And I sometimes call him Terrible Jack,

      ’Cos his tail goes on to the end of his back.

      And I sometimes call him Terrible James,

      ’Cos he says he likes me calling him names….

      But I think I shall call him Jim,

      ’Cos I am so fond of him.

      Puppy and I

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