At evening when the lamp is lit,

Around the fire my parents sit;

They sit at home and talk and sing,

And do not play at anything.

Now, with my little gun, I crawl

All in the dark along the wall,

And follow round the forest track

Away behind the sofa back.

There, in the night, where none can spy,

All in my hunter's camp I lie,

And play at books that I have read

Till it is time to go to bed.

These are the hills, these are the woods,

These are my starry solitudes;

And there the river by whose brink

The roaring lions come to drink.

I see the others far away

As if in firelit camp they lay,

And I, like to an Indian scout,

Around their party prowled about.

So when my nurse comes in for me,

Home I return across the sea,

And go to bed with backward looks

At my dear land of Story-Books.

A was once an apple-pie,

Pidy,

Widy,

Tidy,

Pidy,

Nice insidy,

Apple-pie!

B was once a little bear,

Beary,

Wary,

Hairy,

Beary,

Taky cary,

Little bear!

C was once a little cake,

Caky,

Baky,

Maky,

Caky,

Taky caky,

Little cake!

D was once a little doll,

Dolly,

Molly,

Polly,

Nolly,

Nursy dolly,

Little doll!

E was once a little eel,

Eely,

Weely,

Peely,

Eely,

Twirly, tweely,

Little eel!

F was once a little fish,

Fishy,

Wishy,

Squishy,

Fishy,

In a dishy,

Little fish!

G was once a little goose,

Goosy,

Moosy,

Boosey,

Goosey,

Waddly-woosy,

Little goose!

H was once a little hen,

Henny,

Chenny,

Tenny,

Henny.

Eggsy-any,

Little hen?

I was once a bottle of ink

Inky,

Dinky,

Thinky,

Inky,

Blacky minky,

Bottle of ink!

J was once a jar of jam,

Jammy,

Mammy,

Clammy,

Jammy,

Sweety, swammy,

Jar of jam!

K was once a little kite,

Kity,

Whity,

Flighty,

Kity,

Out of sighty,

Little kite!

L was once a little lark,

Larky,

Marky,

Harky,

Larky,

In the parky,

Little lark!

M was once a little mouse,

Mousy,

Bousy,

Sousy,

Mousy,

In the housy,

Little mouse!

N was once a little needle,

Needly,

Tweedly,

Threedly,

Needly,

Wisky, wheedly,

Little needle!

O was once a little owl,

Owly,

Prowly,

Howly,

Owly,

Browny fowly,

Little owl!

P was once a little pump,

Pumpy,

Slumpy,

Flumpy,

Pumpy,

Dumpy, thumpy,

Little pump!

Q was once a little quail,

Quaily,

Faily,

Daily,

Quaily,

Stumpy-taily,

Little quail!

R was once a little rose,

Rosy,

Posy,

Nosy,

Rosy,

Blows-y, grows-y,

Little rose!

S was once a little shrimp,

Shrimpy,

Nimpy,

Flimpy,

Shrimpy.

Jumpy, jimpy,

Little shrimp!

Twas once a little thrush,

Thrushy,

Hushy,

Bushy,

Thrushy,

Flitty, flushy,

Little thrush!

U was once a little urn,

Urny,

Burny,

Turny,

Urny,

Bubbly, burny,

Little urn!

V was once a little vine,

Viny,

Winy,

Twiny,

Viny,

Twisty-twiny,

Little vine!

Wwas once a whale,

Whaly,

Scaly,

Shaly,

Whaly,

Tumbly-taily,

Mighty whale!

X was once a great king Xerxes,

Xerxy,

Perxy,

Turxy,

Xerxy,

Linxy, lurxy,

Great King Xerxes!

Y was once a little yew,

Yewdy,

Fewdy,

Crudy,

Yewdy,

Growdy, grewdy,

Little yew!

Z was once a piece of zinc,

Tinky,

Winky,

Blinky,

Tinky,

Tinkly minky,

Piece of zinc!