Text 47

THE CAMEL'S HUMP

The Camel's hump is an ugly lump

Which well you may see at the Zoo;

But uglier yet is the hump we get

From having too little to do.

Kiddies and grown-ups too-oo-oo,

If we haven't enough to do-oo-oo,

We get the hump −

Cameelious hump –

The hump that is black and blue!

We climb out of bed with a frouzly head

And a snarly-yarly voice.

We shiver and scowl and we grunt and we growl

At our bath and our boots and our toys;

And there ought to be a corner for me

(I know there is one for you)

When we get the hump --

Cameelious hump –

The hump that is black and blue!

The cure for this ill is not to sit still,

Or worst with a book by the fire;

But to take a large hoe and shovel also,

And dig till you gently perspire;

And then you will find that the sun and the wind,

And the Djinn and the Garden too,

Have lifted the hump −

The horrible hump −

The hump that is black and blue!

I get it as well as you-oo-oo −

If I haven't enough to do-oo-oo −

We all get hump −

Cameelious hump −

Kiddies and grown-ups too!

Two contemporaries, Hilaire Belloc and Harry Graham, must have read those books as fairly young men. Had they not written any poetry for children, they would have hardly been remembered today.

Hilaire Belloc (1870—1953) was born in France, of Franco-English parentage. He settled in England, however, and wrote in English. In his creative and imaginative books Belloc was so versatile that he might be put in any category, except that of the dramatists. He was novelist, poet, travel-writer, critic, essayist, historian, biographer, and − last but not least − children's writer. He will probably be remembered best for his beastly creations: the collections of nonsense poetry, The Bad Child's Book of Beasts (1896) and More Beasts for Worse Children (1897). What fine specimen of children's poetry they are if not too savage a bit!Read Text 48.