Another Page for Kids

Hide-and-Seek




can you see the white bunny?


This poem was written by Bilbo Baggins, a Hobbit of great renown. . . Okay, so it was really written by J.R.R. Tolkien--Bilbo is a character in a book, actually several books, and if you like adventures with dragons and trolls and dwarves and elves and swords and hidden treasure, I suggest you read The Hobbit by Mr. Tolkien. It's in the library.
At any rate, about this poem:
this is the song that Frodo sang at the Inn at Bree. There's a nursery rhyme hidden in it; see if you can find it!



The Man in the Moon Stayed Up Too Late

There is an inn, a merry old inn
    beneath an old grey hill
And there they brew a beer so brown

That the Man in the Moon himself came down

    one night to drink his fill.

The landlord keeps a little dog
    that is mighty fond of jokes;
When there's good cheer among the guests,

He cocks an ear at all the jests

    and laughs until he chokes.

They also keep a hornéd cow
    as proud as any queen;
But music turns her head like ale

And makes her wave her tufted tail

    and dance upon the green.

          And O! the rows of silver dishes

            and the store of silver spoons!

          For Sunday there's a special pair,

          And these they polish up with care

            on Saturday afternoons.

    The Man in the Moon was drinking deep,

      and the cat began to wail;

    A dish and a spoon on the table danced,

    The cow in the garden madly pranced,

      and the little dog chased his tail.

            The Man in the Moon took another mug,

              and then rolled beneath his chair;

            And there he dozed and dreamed of ale,

            Till in the sky the stars were pale,

              and dawn was in the air.


    Then the ostler said to his tipsy cat:

      "The white horses of the Moon,

    They neigh and champ their silver bits;

    But their master's been and drowned his wits,

      and the Sun'll be rising soon!"

So the cat on his fiddle played hey-diddle-diddle,
    a jig that would wake the dead:
He squeaked and sawed and quickened the tune,

While the landlord shook the Man in the Moon:

    "It's after three!" he said

      They rolled the Man slowly up the hill

        and bundled him into the Moon

      While his horses galloped up in rear,

      And the cow came capering like a deer,

        and a dish ran up with the spoon.

Now quicker the fiddle went deedle-dum-diddle;
    the dog began to roar,
The cow and the horses stood on their heads;

The guests all bounded from their beds

    and danced upon the floor.

With a ping and a pang the fiddle-strings broke!
    The cow jumped over the Moon,
And the little dog laughed to see such fun,

And the Saturday dish went off at a run

    with the silver Sunday spoon.


The round Moon rolled behind the hill,

as the Sun raised up her head.

She hardly believed her fiery eyes;

For though it was day, to her surprise

they all went back to bed!



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Links to More Rhymes:

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Mama Lisa's World
children's
songs and rhymes
from around
the world

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Stories and Poems
by
Beatrix Potter

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Enchanted
Learning
rebus rhymes
and more

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<<--Click on this picture to see it full-size.
How many hidden animals can you find?


Poetry in Action ~ Just For Kids
A Child's Garden of Verses Hide and Seek
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The cats on the next page
want you to come over
and play with them!