I have a little shadow that goes in and out with me,

And what can be the use of him is more than I can see.

He is very, very like me from the heels up to the head;

And I see him jump before me, when I jump into my bed.

The funniest thing about him is the way he likes to grow—

Not at all like proper children, which is always very slow;

For he sometimes shoots up taller like an india-rubber ball,

And he sometimes gets so little that there's none of him at all.

He hasn't got a notion of how children ought to play,

And can only make a fool of me in every sort of way.

He stays so close beside me, he's a coward, you can see;

I'd think shame to stick to nursie as that shadow sticks to me!

One morning, very early, before the sun was up,

I rose and found the shining dew on every buttercup;

But my lazy little shadow, like an arrant sleepy-head,

Had stayed at home behind me and was fast asleep in bed.

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!