How the Days Are

(Black and White Trees and Buildings by David Milne,
1882-1953, Canadian painter and printmaker)

Had we never met or never parted, wrote Robert Burns, we had never been broken-hearted.

HOW THE DAYS ARE

How the days are filled with misery!
No fires to warm me have been left,
No sun to smile at me,
Everything is empty,
Everything is cold and merciless,
Even the lovely clear stars
Are as desolate as I,
Since I discovered that in the heart
Love can die.

~ Hermann Hesse (1877-1962), the German-Swiss novelist, poet, and painter

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Us Two

(Children, wood engraving by Gwen Raverat,
1885-1957, English artist)

“As the virtuous man is to himself, he is to his friend also, for his friend is another self,” says Aristotle (384-322 B. C.) in Nicomachean Ethics.

In a true friendship — and this is where its beauty lies — you look on your friend as part of the “we of me,” to use Carson McCullers’ words. This occurs even between the young. You can hear that in the conversation between Christopher Robin and his friend, the teddy bear Winnie the Pooh.

US TWO

Wherever I am, there’s always Pooh,
There’s always Pooh and Me.
Whatever I do, he wants to do,
“Where are you going today?” says Pooh:
“Well, that’s very odd ’cos I was too.
Let’s go together,” says Pooh, says he.
“Let’s go together,” says Pooh.

“What’s twice eleven?” I said to Pooh.
(“Twice what?” said Pooh to Me.)
“I think it ought to be twenty-two.”
“Just what I think myself,” said Pooh.
“It wasn’t an easy sum to do,
But that’s what it is,” said Pooh, said he.
“That’s what it is,” said Pooh.

“Let’s look for dragons,” I said to Pooh.
“Yes, let’s,” said Pooh to Me.
We crossed the river and found a few —
“Yes, those are dragons all right,” said Pooh.
“As soon as I saw their beaks I knew.
That’s what they are,” said Pooh, said he.
“That’s what they are,” said Pooh.

“Let’s frighten the dragons,” I said to Pooh.
“That’s right,” said Pooh to Me.
“I’m not afraid,” I said to Pooh,
And I held his paw and I shouted “Shoo!
Silly old dragons!” — and off they flew.
“I wasn’t afraid,” said Pooh, said he,
“I’m never afraid with you.”

So wherever I am, there’s always Pooh,
There’s always Pooh and Me.
“What would I do?” I said to Pooh,
“If it wasn’t for you,” and Pooh said: “True,
It isn’t much fun for One, but Two
Can stick together,” says Pooh, says he.
“That’s how it is,” says Pooh.

~ A. A. Milne (1882-1956), English poet and writer and father of Christopher Robin; from Now We Are Six

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The End

(Portrait of a Small Child by Wilhelm List, 1864-1918,
German painter)

“What I want to explain in the Introduction is this. We have been nearly three years writing this book. We began it when we were very young . . . and now we are six. So, of course, bits of it seem rather babyish to us, almost as if they had slipped out of some other book by mistake. On page whatever-it-is there is a thing which is simply three-ish, and when we read it to ourselves just now we said, ‘Well, well, well,’ and turned over rather quickly. So we want you to know that the name of the book doesn’t mean that this is us being six all the time, but that it is about as far as we’ve got at present, and we half think of stopping there.” ~ A. A. Milne, from the introduction to his book When We Are Six

THE END

When I was One,
I had just begun.

When I was Two,
I was nearly new.

When I was Three,
I was hardly Me.

When I was Four,
I was not much more.

When I was Five,
I was just alive.

But now I am Six, I’m as clever as clever.
So I think I’ll be six now for ever and ever.

~ A. A. Milne (1882-1956), English poet and writer and father of Christopher Robin

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The Shapes of Sound, part four

Some poems, with their whimsical wordplay, are just plain fun. This poem almost seems to sing to the rhythm of some lively tune.

In fact, a popular folk group in the sixties, the Chad Mitchell Trio, put it to music on their album At the Bitter End.

DISOBEDIENCE

James James
Morrison Morrison
Weatherby George Dupree
Took great
Care of his Mother,
Though he was only three.
James James
Said to his Mother,
“Mother,” he said, said he;
“You must never go down to the end of the town, if you don’t go down with me.”

James James
Morrison’s Mother
Put on a golden gown.
James James Morrison’s Mother
Drove to the end of the town.
James James Morrison’s Mother
Said to herself, said she:
“I can get right down to the end of the town and be back in time for tea.”

King John
Put up a notice,
“LOST or STOLEN or STRAYED!
JAMES JAMES
MORRISON’S MOTHER
SEEMS TO HAVE BEEN MISLAID.
LAST SEEN
WANDERING VAGUELY:
QUITE OF HER OWN ACCORD,
SHE TRIED TO GET DOWN TO THE END OF THE TOWN – FORTY SHILLINGS REWARD!”

James James
Morrison Morrison
(Commonly known as Jim)
Told his
Other relations
Not to go blaming him.
James James
Said to his Mother,
“Mother,” he said, said he:
“You must never go down to the end of the town without consulting me.”

James James
Morrison’s mother
Hasn’t been heard of since.
King John
Said he was sorry,
So did the Queen and Prince.
King John
(Somebody told me)
Said to a man he knew:
“If people go down to the end of the town, well, what can anyone do?”

(Now then, very softly)

J. J.
M. M.
W. G. Du P.
Took great
C/o his M*****
Though he was only 3.
J. J. said to his M*****
“M*****,” he said, said he:
“You-must-never-go-down-to-the-end-of-the-town-if-you-don’t-go-down-with-ME!”

~ A. A. Milne (1882-1956), English poet and writer and father of Christopher Robin

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