"Hoity-toity ! Hop-o"-my-thumb ! Tweedledee and Tweedledum ! All hobgoblins come to me,Over the mountains, over the sea; Come in a hurry, come in a crowd, Flying, chattering, shrieking loud;I and my broomstick fidget and call-
Come, hobgoblins, we want you all!
"I have a pot of a mischievous brew; You must do what I tell you to:
Blew through the keyholes, hang to the eaves, Litter the garden with dead brown leaves;Into the houses hustle and run,
Here is mischief and here is fun! Break the china and slam the doors,Crack the windows and scratch the floors,
Let in the cockroaches, mice, and rats, Sit on the family"s Sunday hats; Hiding and stealing everything little, Smashing everything thin and brittle;Teasing the children, tickling their heels- Look at them jumping! Hark to their squeals! Pinch their elbows and pull their hair,Then out again to the gusty air!
" Flutter the birds in their sheltered nests, Pluck the down from the ducklings" breasts, Steal the eggs from the clucking hen,Ride the pigs round and round the pen! Here is mischief to spare for all-Hoity-toity, come at my call! Tweedledum and Tweedledee,Come at my summons-come to me!"
Thus said a witch on a windy night,
Then sailed on her broomstick out of sight.
- Ruth Bedford
Author.-Miss Ruth Bedford, a living Australian poet and novelist, was born in Sydney, where she has lived almost all her life. Her published books include two volumes of poetry for children-Rosycheeks and Goldenhair and Fairies and Fancies.
General Notes.-Notice the breathless hurrying and scurrying of the poem. The last two lines, though, have a much slower pace. Can you tell why? Add some more pairs of lines telling of fresh mischief that the hobgoblins can do.
Suggestions for Verse-speaking.-Choose a witch and three ornine hobgoblins. The hobgoblins can each say in turn a pair of lines, beginning after "You must do what I tell you to" and ending with "round and round the pen." The last two lines are spoken slowly by the class.