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The Peter Pan ALPHABET
By Oliver Herford.
THE PETER PAN ALPHABET
BOOKS BY OLIVER HERFORD WITH PICTURES BY THE AUTHOR PUBLISHED BY CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS ====================================
THE BASHFUL EARTHQUAKE $1.25 A CHILD'S PRIMER OF NATURAL HISTORY 1.25 OVERHEARD IN A GARDEN 1.25 MORE ANIMALS net, 1.00 THE RUBAIYAT OF A PERSIAN KITTEN net, 1.00 THE FAIRY GODMOTHER-IN-LAW net, 1.00 A LITTLE BOOK OF BORES net, 1.00 THE PETER PAN ALPHABET net, 1.00
THE PETER PAN ALPHABET
By OLIVER HERFORD
New York CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS 1907
COPYRIGHT 1907 BY OLIVER HERFORD PUBLISHED JANUARY 1907
A ROUND ROBIN TO J. M. BARRIE
From His Humble and Devoted Servants THE ALPHABET
The Lord forgive if we transgress Thus to familiarly address One of our betters. But Jamie, do you no recall The slate whereon you learned to scrawl Your Humble Letters?
Well we remember how you drew Our shapely features all askew, Unflattering really. You made A lame and B too fat And C too curly—what of that! We loved you dearly.
From that first day we owned your spell, And just because you used us well We served you blindly. Why, even when you put us through A fearsome Scottish Reel, we knew You meant it kindly.
Jamie, 'tis said Grand Tales there be Still biding in the A B C— If this be true, Quick Jamie! Cast your golden net. Maybe we have the grandest yet In store for you.
A is for Adams
So A is for Adams, Oh! fortunate A Luck certainly seems to be coming your way. In the Days of my Infancy, A I recall Stood for Ant or for Apple or anything small. Now A stands for Adams, Maude Adams, Hurray! I always said A would be Famous some day.
B stands for the Boys
B's for the Boys, all as Busy as Bees They are building a Little House under the Trees With funny red walls and mossy green roof Where Wendy may live from danger aloof.
C is the Crocodile
C is the Crocodile Creepy who ate The right hand of Hook and covets its mate He makes a loud ticking wherever he goes For he swallowed a Clock (To kill time I suppose).
D is for DoodleDoo
D is the Dire and Dread DoodleDoo With which Peter Daunted the Pirate crew, And demolished a foolish old Proverb for good By crowing before he was out of the wood.
E is the Exit
E is the Exit the three children made With Peter and Tinker for guides, Who's afraid? They sailed through the window as calm as could be Like three little Cherubim out for a Spree.
F is the Fight
F is the Fight, Peter Fought unafraid And F is his Falchion (Poetic for Blade) And F's the Fine Feeling all Fearless Boys Feel When they give a Fierce Pirate a taste of Cold Steel.
G is Old Glory
G is Old Glory—that Peter upreared, When Hook in the Crocodile's smile disappeared, And the Decks were still wet with the terrible stains Of Invisible Gore from the Pirate's veins.
H stands for Hook
I'm sorry for H, tho' I don't call Hook mean For wanting to Blow Up his own Magazine. I've known a Good Author blow up, in a Huff, A Magazine just for not printing his Stuff.
I's for the Indian Girl
Peter Pan was too coy for the Indian Miss; She sighed for his scalp—all she got was a kiss.
J is for John
J is for John (No, he hasn't a Pain; He is Red-Handed Jack of the Pirate Main).
K stands for a Kiss
K stands for a Kiss? Oh, stern featured K! Who would have suspected—You'd leanings that way! Peter called his a Thimble—(I think it sounds tame To call Kisses Thimbles—but what's in a Name!)
L is the Lion
L is the Lion who lashed his Fierce Tail, And did Peter Tremble? did Peter turn Pale? Not Much! 'Twas the Lion who moved to adjourn, He couldn't turn Tail, Peter left none to Turn.
M is for Michael
M is for Michael—ssssh!—whisper it low! In Pirate Circles he's called Blackbeard Joe!
N is for Napoleon and Nana
N is Napoleon—Mystic—Profound And N is for Nana the Noble Nurse Hound— Two wonderful natures—each great in his way, One's dead and the other is "Having his Day."
O's for Odds-fish!!
O's for Odds-fish—the Pirate's Oath. To print such a word, Gentle Reader, I'm loth. And should You be guilty of language so low, I should have to stop calling you "Gentle," you know.
P is for Peter
P is for Peter, and so are we all, May he ever keep young and his Shadow stay Small. Yet I think 'tis a pity the White House is Bann'd. As President, Peter would simply be Grand!
Q is the Quiver
Q is the Quiver from which Tootles drew The Arrow that nearly pierced poor Wendy through. 'Twas Peter's Kiss Button that stopped it—Ah me! If Kisses were Buttons—how safe they would be!
R's for the Redskins
R's for the Redskins, who Guarded the Cave. What a Treat to see "Injuns" sit up and Behave!
S is the Shadow
S is the Shadow—tho' not of much use, You'd surely be Sorry if Yours Should get loose. So See to your Shadow—be sure it's on tight, When Peter lost his he was in a sad plight.
T is for Tinker Bell
Poor Tinker Bell's dying, Quick! say you Believe In Fairies, that Tinker New Life may receive.
U is the Underground Home
U's the underground home mid the roots of the trees, Where when not slaying Pirates, the boys take their ease. While Wendy sits mending their shirtwaists and hose, And the Redskins above Keep watch against foes.
V is the Verse
V's the Vile Verse that the Pirate Bawled— It was not his language so much that appalled, Nor the Tune—nor his Voice which was Raucus and Deep 'Twas the way that he sang it That made your flesh creep.
W's Wolves
W's wolves—'Tis said they will fly If you look through your legs at them straight in the eye. That's how the Boys did it, but if I were you, I'd experiment first on a wolf in the Zoo.
X is the X Ray
X is the X Ray by whose light alone, This last fleeting picture of Hook may be shown.
Y is for Youth
Y is for Youth to which Peter clung, But where is the land where he learned to Stay Young? Ask Peter, he'll tell you, Geography scorning, "Second Turn to the Right and keep straight on till Morning."
Z is the Zebra
Z is the Zebra the Boys didn't meet, But without which no Alphabet's really complete.
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