PREFACE

There are probably more nursery rhymes in China than can be found in England and America. We have in our possession more than six hundred, collected, for the most part, in two out of the eighteen provinces, and we have no reason to believe that we have succeeded in getting any large proportion of what those two provinces contain.

In most of the rhymes there are features common to those of our own "Mother Goose," among which are those referring (1) to insects, (2) animals, (3) birds, (4) persons, (5) children, (6) food, (7) parts of the body, (8) actions, such as patting, grabbing, tickling, etc., (9) professions, trades and business.

We have tried to reproduce the meaning of the original as nearly as possible; this has not always been an easy task. Let it be understood that these rhymes make no pretentions to literary merit, nor has the translator made any attempt at regularity in the meter, because neither the original nor our own "Mother Goose" is regular. Our desire has been to make a translation which is fairly true to the original, and which will please English-speaking children. The child, not the critic, has always been kept in view.

Attention is called to the affection manifested in such rhymes as "Sweeter than Sugar," "Sweet Pill," "Little Fat Boy," and "Baby is Sleeping." There is no language in the world, we venture to believe, which contains children's songs expressive of more keen and tender affection than those we have mentioned. This fact, more than any other, has stimulated us in the preparation of these rhymes. They have been prepared with the hope that they will present a new phase of Chinese home life, and lead the children of the West to have some measure of sympathy and affection for the children of the East.

The compilation was much facilitated by the work done by Baron Vitali, of the Italian Legation in Peking; Rev. Arthur H. Smith, author of "Chinese Characteristics;" Miss Mabel Whiting, of Peking; Miss Mitchell, of Chinkiang; Mrs. McClure, of Honan; Miss Chalfant, of Shantung; Mr. Chao Tsz-chi, Chinese Consul at New York; Mr. Yamamoto, of Peking, and Rev. Chauncy Goodrich, of T'ung Chou, while the entire wor is due to the fact that our attention was called by Mrs. C. H. Fenn, of Peking, to her old nurse repeating these rhymes to her little boy.

The illustrations have all been prepared by the translator specially for this work.

I. T. H.

October, 1900

ON the top of a mountain

A hemp stock was growing,

And up it a cricket was climbing.

I said to him, "Cricket,

Oh where are you going?"

He answered: "I'm going out dining."

AWAY goes the butterfly,

To catch it I will never try;

The butterfly's about to 'light,

I would not have it if I might.

WE keep a dog to watch the house,

A pig is useful, too;

We keep a cat to catch a mouse,

But what can we do

With a girl like you?

FIRE- fly, fire-fly,

Come from the hill,

Your father and mother

Are waiting here still;

They've brought you some sugar,

Some candy and meat,

Come quick, or I'll give it

To baby to eat.

LITTLE baby, full of glee,

Won't you come and play with me?

Strike the stick and kick the ball,

And at the pic-nic place we'll call.

And you shall come and eat with me,

And you shall come and drink my tea.

When I invite you thus to play,

How is it that you run away?

THERE'S a cow on the mountain."

The old saying goes,

On her legs are four feet;

On her feet are eight toes;

Her tail is behind

On the end of her back,

And her head is in front

On the end of her neck.

GRANDPA holds the baby,

He's sitting on his knee

Eating mutton dumplings

With vinegar and tea.

Then grandpa says to baby,

"When you have had enough,

You'll be a saucy baby

And treat your grandpa rough."

MY big son,

My own boy,

Baby is a sweet pill

That fills my soul with joy.

BAT, bat, with your flowered shoes,

Come to us here in the room,

This little girl will be the bride,

And I will be the groom.

YOU dear little baby,

Don't you cry;

Your father's drawing water

In the south, near by,

A red tasseled hat

He wears on his head;

Your mother's in the kitchen

Making up bread.

Walk a step, walk a step,

Off he goes,

See from his shoe-tips

Peep three toes.

I WANT some thread,

Both green and red;

I want a needle long;

I want some strands

For ankle bands,

To give to Mrs. Wang.

THE tree leaves are murmuring hua-la-la,

Baby's very sleepy and wants his mama;

Go to sleep, my baby, and then go to bed,

And any bogie-boo that comes,

I'll knock him on the head.

OH dear! oh dear! just see how far

His head is from his feet!

So far indeed he has to bend

When e'er he wants to eat.

And when he wants to fight a man

He lifts him up anon,

And when he wants to wash his face

He pours the water on.

MY baby is sleeping,

My baby's asleep,

My flower is resting,

I'll give you a peep;

How cunning he looks

As he rests on my arm!

My flower's most charming

Of all them that charm.