How pleasant to know Mr.Lear!
"How pleasant to know Mr.Lear!"
Who has written such volumes of stuff!
Some think him ill-tempered and queer,
But a few think him pleasant enough.
Who has written such volumes of stuff!
Some think him ill-tempered and queer,
But a few think him pleasant enough.
His mind is concrete and fastidious,
His nose is remarkably big;
His visage is more or less hideous,
His beard it resembles a wig.
His nose is remarkably big;
His visage is more or less hideous,
His beard it resembles a wig.
He has ears, and two eyes, and ten fingers,
Leastways if you reckon two thumbs;
Long ago he was one of the singers,
But now he is one of the dumbs.
Leastways if you reckon two thumbs;
Long ago he was one of the singers,
But now he is one of the dumbs.
He sits in a beautiful parlour,
With hundreds of books on the wall;
He drinks a great deal of Marsala,
But never gets tipsy at all.
With hundreds of books on the wall;
He drinks a great deal of Marsala,
But never gets tipsy at all.
He has many friends, lay men and clerical,
Old Foss is the name of his cat;
His body is perfectly spherical,
He weareth a runcible hat.
Old Foss is the name of his cat;
His body is perfectly spherical,
He weareth a runcible hat.
When he walks in waterproof white,
The children run after him so!
Calling out, "He's gone out in his night-
Gown, that crazy old Englishman, oh!"
The children run after him so!
Calling out, "He's gone out in his night-
Gown, that crazy old Englishman, oh!"
He weeps by the side of the ocean,
He weeps on the top of the hill;
He purchases pancakes and lotion,
And chocolate shrimps from the mill.
He weeps on the top of the hill;
He purchases pancakes and lotion,
And chocolate shrimps from the mill.
He reads, but he cannot speak, Spanish,
He cannot abide ginger beer:
Ere the days of his pilgrimage vanish,
How pleasant to know Mr. Lear!
He cannot abide ginger beer:
Ere the days of his pilgrimage vanish,
How pleasant to know Mr. Lear!
[from The Complete Nonsense Book,
edited by Lady Strachey, 1912, pp. 420-1.
Etext prepared by Doug Love.]
edited by Lady Strachey, 1912, pp. 420-1.
Etext prepared by Doug Love.]
improbable versión castellana:
Da gusto conocer a don Lear!
que ha escrito montones de cosas
muchos creen que es huraño y raro
amable le resulta a unos pocos
Mente concreta aunque fastidie
con nariz bastante enorme
su cara en general nos repugna
postiza pareciera su barba
tiene orejas, 2 ojos, 10 dedos
2 pulgares, si están de acuerdo,
tiempo atrás se contó entre cantantes
se suma hoy al coro de tontos
Sentado en suntuoso salón
en las paredes cientos de libros
es de empinar el codo seguido
pero nadie lo ha visto borracho
Amigos tiene muchos, curas y laicos,
Old foss se llama su gato
Perfectamente esférico, su cuerpo,
abusa de momoso° sombrero
Viste su blanca gabardina
los niños lo persiguen, le gritan:
"ahí va otra vez en camisón
el viejo loco!"
Solloza a orillas del océano
Gimotea arriba del cerro
compra loción y panqueques
y camarones de chocolate
Lée el español, pero no lo habla
no aguanta la cerveza de jengibre
atrás quedan sus peregrinajes
Da gusto conocer a don Lear!
traditore: pablo para estos cuadernos
°el adjetivo momoso no existe, pero tampoco runcible, una invención del sr. Lear que nadie sabe qué signfica, o mejor, puede significar lo que cada uno quiera. Lo mismo digo de momoso.
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