This year to celebrate National Poetry Month and to take part in the April A-Z Blogging Challenge, I’ll be posting two poems a day, one written by me and another poem written by one of my favourite poets. The title or first word of both poems will begin with the corresponding letter in the Blogging Challenge.
Today a lighthearted post, which is a relief after the last few intense days. I offer you The Queen of Hearts, an anonymous rhyme, whose main character was made famous by Lewis Carroll in Alice’s adventures in Wonderland.
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The Queen of Hearts
The Queen of Hearts
She made some tarts,
All on a summer’s day;
The Knave of Hearts
He stole those tarts,
And took them clean away.
The King of Hearts
Called for the tarts,
And beat the knave full sore;
The Knave of Hearts
Brought back the tarts,
And vowed he’d steal no more.
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The Queen of Hearts is an English poem and nursery rhyme based on a character in playing cards. The Queen of hearts is also part of the plot of Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.
The Queens of Hearts is a type of light verse, mainly for children, including imaginative characters in funny or fantastic situations. It’s also called nonsense verse , because it includes absurd or meaningless situations and even made-up words. It originated in the nineteenth century. The roots of these rhymes are attributed to Edward Lear and Lewis Carroll. Although the poems defy common sense and seem illogical and simplistic, they are inherently complex and often contain more meaning that is apparent, however, I wouldn’t dare to guess at the hidden meaning of the Queen of Hearts, would you?
Here’s my nonsense rhyme.
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The Queen of Hearts
The fairy grandmother said,
‘One more tale and then off to bed.’
The children clapped with glee,
While granny sipped her tea
And started.
According to the Queen of Hearts
In a lighthouse we must start.
A lighthouse in the daylight,
Is useful in its own right,’
Said Rapunzel
As she cast her hair,
For her prince so fair.
But Jack climbed up to talk,
Looking for his beanstalk.
What about the little pigs?
The wolf, he can go eat some figs.
Cinderella found a fella,
Saving damsels with an umbrella.
The lighthouse was so overcrowded,
The ugly sisters were dumbfounded.
They called a witch to cast a spell,
She sent them all down the well,
Where they learnt to row their boat,
Round and round the castle moat.
Then said the King of the castle,
‘Go away you dirty rascals!’
‘What happened next?’ asked Matilda,
Right after the fire killed her.
‘I’m afraid I’m now a ghost.’
Alice said, ‘to that I’ll toast!’
She found a lamp, the Queen of hearts,
While Aladdin tried to eat her tarts.
Thinking it was a clock, the blind mouse
Carried the Queen up to the lighthouse,
And so my little friends,
This is where this story ends.
And now you better go to bed,
And forget everything I said.
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That was fun!
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Rereading Jane Eyre 