Nonsense Songs, Stories and Alphabets (1871)

B was once a little bear,
Beary, Wary, Hairy, Beary, Taky cary, Little bear!

A was once an apple-pie,
Pidy, Widy, Tidy, Pidy, Nice insidy, Apple-pie!

Z was some zinc,
So shiny and bright,
Which caused you to wink
In the sun's merry light.

z

Beautiful zinc!

Y was a yew,
Which flourished and grew
By a quiet abode
Near the side of a road.

y

Dark little yew!

X was King Xerxes,
Who, more than all Turks, is
Renowned for his fashion
Of fury and passion.

x

Angry old Xerxes!

W was a whale
With a very long tail,
Whose movements were frantic
Across the Atlantic.

w

Monstrous old whale!

V was a villa
Which stood on a hill,
By the side of a river,
And close to a mill.

v

Nice little villa!

U was an urn
All polished and bright,
And full of hot water
At noon and at night.

u

Useful old urn!

T was a tortoise,
All yellow and black:
He walked slowly away,
And he never came back.

t

Torty never came back!