The Dream

Herbert Asquith

My dream? Can I remember my dream?I was floating down the nursery stair,And my little terrier ran in frontWith his feet treading on the air;And when we came to the dining-room,The King and the Queen were there:And father and mother, two and two;And a baby elephant from the Zoo,Each on a golden chair;And three soldiers, and Mary RoseRiding an ostrich that pecked her toes,And Uncle JimLooking very trim,Eating a kipper.And, when they had sung to the King,They all sat down in a ring,And played at hunt the slipper.Then I saw a curling streamAnd yellow flow’rs in a meadow,And six little green frogsDancing a jig in the shadow:And the tune came from a bough,“Tweet, tweet, quiver,”Sung by a little brown birdThat swayed above the river.Then we all started to dance,And Aunt Rebecca too;Uncle Jim began to prance,And the baby elephant blewA curl of smoke from his cigar,As he sat and watched the evening star.And the little brown bird sang on,Swaying above the river:But a wind came whispering down,And the leaves began to shiver.Then with a crackly soundUncle Jim went flat:He turned into a cricket-bat;But Aunt Rebecca grew very roundAnd floated up like a black balloon,Higher and higher, into the Moon.The stars fell out of the sky;The baby elephant whined:“Time to get up” said nurse:And “Flap” went the blind.

My dream? Can I remember my dream?

I was floating down the nursery stair,

And my little terrier ran in front

With his feet treading on the air;

And when we came to the dining-room,

The King and the Queen were there:

And father and mother, two and two;

And a baby elephant from the Zoo,

Each on a golden chair;

And three soldiers, and Mary Rose

Riding an ostrich that pecked her toes,

And Uncle Jim

Looking very trim,

Eating a kipper.

And, when they had sung to the King,

They all sat down in a ring,

And played at hunt the slipper.

Then I saw a curling streamAnd yellow flow’rs in a meadow,And six little green frogsDancing a jig in the shadow:And the tune came from a bough,“Tweet, tweet, quiver,”Sung by a little brown birdThat swayed above the river.

Then I saw a curling stream

And yellow flow’rs in a meadow,

And six little green frogs

Dancing a jig in the shadow:

And the tune came from a bough,

“Tweet, tweet, quiver,”

Sung by a little brown bird

That swayed above the river.

Then we all started to dance,And Aunt Rebecca too;Uncle Jim began to prance,And the baby elephant blewA curl of smoke from his cigar,As he sat and watched the evening star.And the little brown bird sang on,Swaying above the river:But a wind came whispering down,And the leaves began to shiver.

Then we all started to dance,

And Aunt Rebecca too;

Uncle Jim began to prance,

And the baby elephant blew

A curl of smoke from his cigar,

As he sat and watched the evening star.

And the little brown bird sang on,

Swaying above the river:

But a wind came whispering down,

And the leaves began to shiver.

Then with a crackly soundUncle Jim went flat:He turned into a cricket-bat;But Aunt Rebecca grew very roundAnd floated up like a black balloon,Higher and higher, into the Moon.The stars fell out of the sky;The baby elephant whined:“Time to get up” said nurse:And “Flap” went the blind.

Then with a crackly sound

Uncle Jim went flat:

He turned into a cricket-bat;

But Aunt Rebecca grew very round

And floated up like a black balloon,

Higher and higher, into the Moon.

The stars fell out of the sky;

The baby elephant whined:

“Time to get up” said nurse:

And “Flap” went the blind.

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