Nursery rhymes, English; Oral tradition -- England
A man of words and not of deeds,
Is like a garden full of weeds;
And when the weeds begin to grow,
It's like a garden full of snow;
And when the snow begins to fall,
It's like a bird upon the wall;
And when the bird away does fly,
It's like an eagle in the sky;
And when the sky begins to roar,
It's like a lion at the door;
And when the door begins to crack,
It's like a stick across your back;
And when your back begins to smart,
It's like a penknife in your heart;
And when your heart begins to bleed,
You're dead, and dead, and dead, indeed.
XC.
A man of words and not of deeds,
Is like a garden full of weeds;
For when the weeds begin to grow,
Then doth the garden overflow.
XCI.
If you sneeze on Monday, you sneeze for danger;
Sneeze on a Tuesday, kiss a stranger;
Sneeze on a Wednesday, sneeze for a letter;
Sneeze on a Thursday, something better;
Sneeze on a Friday, sneeze for sorrow;
Sneeze on a Saturday, see your sweetheart to-morrow.
XCII.
A pullet in the pen
Is worth a hundred in the fen!
XCIII.
He that would thrive
Must rise at five;
He that hath thriven
May lie till seven;
And he that by the plough would thrive,
Himself must either hold or drive.
XCIV.
[The following is quoted in Miege's 'Great French Dictionary,'
fol. Lond. 1687, 2d part.]
A swarm of bees in May
Is worth a load of hay;
A swarm of bees in June
Is worth a silver spoon;
A swarm of bees in July
Is not worth a fly.
XCV.
They that wash on Monday
Have all the week to dry;
They that wash on Tuesday
Are not so much awry;
They that wash on Wednesday
Are not so much to blame;
They that wash on Thursday,
Wash for shame;
They that wash on Friday,
Wash in need;
And they that wash on Saturday,
Oh! they're sluts indeed.
XCVI.
Needles and pins, needles and pins,
When a man marries his trouble begins.
XCVII.
[In Suffolk, children are frequently reminded of the decorum
due to the Sabbath by the following lines.]
Yeow mussent sing a' Sunday,
Becaze it is a sin,
But yeow may sing a' Monday
Till Sunday cums agin.
XCVIII.
A sunshiny shower,
Won't last half an hour.
XCIX.
As the days grow longer,
The storms grow stronger.
C.
As the days lengthen,
So the storms strengthen.
CI.
He that goes to see his wheat in May,
Comes weeping away.
CII.
The mackerel's cry,
Is never long dry.
CIII.
In July,
Some reap rye;
In August,
If one will not the other must.
CIV.
[Proverbial many years ago, when the guinea in gold was of a
higher value than its nominal representative in silver,]
A guinea it would sink,
And a pound it would float;
Yet I'd rather have a guinea,
Than your one pound note.
CV.
For every evil under the sun,
There is a remedy, or there is none.
If there be one, try and find it;
If there be none, never mind it.
CVI.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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