Subscribe: by Email | in Reader

The Great Panjandrum -- Samuel Foote

... completely unintentionally, I seem to have stumbled across a theme of
sorts...
(Poem #208) The Great Panjandrum
So she went into the garden
to cut a cabbage-leaf
to make an apple-pie;
and at the same time
a great she-bear, coming down the street,
pops its head into the shop.
What! no soap?
    So he died,
and she very imprudently married the Barber:
and there were present
the Picninnies,
    and the Joblillies,
        and the Garyulies,
and the great Panjandrum himself,
with the little round button at top;
and they all fell to playing the game of catch-as-catch-can,
till the gunpowder ran out at the heels of their boots
-- Samuel Foote
(Composed by Foote in 1755 to test the memory of the actor Charles Macklin, who
had claimed  he could read any paragraph once through and then recite it
verbatim. It is not recorded whether or not Macklin was, in fact, able to
memorise the passage at first reading, but he apparently took great pleasure in
reciting both the anecdote and the passage in later life).

Yes,  the theme for this week is (as you may have guessed) poems which have
given words to the English language. This one's one of my favourites: like an
Escher etching or a Lear limerick [1], each little part _seems_ to make perfect
sense, while the whole is nonsensical, even surreal.

thomas.

[1] alliteration always amuses...

[while on the theme]
Main Entry: panjandrum
Pronunciation: pan-'jan-dr&m
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural -drums also panjandra /-dr&/
Etymology: Great Panjandrum, burlesque title of an imaginary personage in some
nonsense lines by Samuel Foote
Date: 1755
: a powerful personage or pretentious official
    -- from MWCD10, Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, 10th edition,
online at http://www.m-w.com

I've heard the phrase 'Grand Panjandrum' as well (especially in the dictionary
sense of the word); perhaps the resonance of the vowel sounds has something to
do with the popularity of this variant.

[endnote]
... this particular poem is the sample text used in a standard Java tutorial on
using file streams... as a result, a web search on 'Great Panjandrum' returned
several zillion sites... :-)

55 comments: ( or Leave a comment )

Bromleian said...

Dear whoever

Maybe you know, or may be you don't, that Randalph Caldecott produced some
glorious illustrations to this nonsense.

Incidentally, another of Foote's claims to fame was to have invented the
matinee (not actually the word but the phenomenon). The Lord Chamberlain
closed down his production of offensive burlesques and imitations of his
contemporaries, The Diversions of the Morning, because the theate, in the
Haywarket had no patent for plays. Foote fought back by inviting his audience
to take "Tea" with him at 3.00 pm, at which he promised that his burleques
would fortuitously happen to appear. It was the first occasion of afternoon
performances and the device became popular.

Regards ----------- Nick Bromley

Philip Boyden said...

I first heard this quotation in about 1956, when I was 10, when my
headmaster recited it to me to see how quickly I could learn it. I
don't think he had to say it more than than twice and I have retained
a good 90% of it ever since.

The version I remember, though, is the one you quote and definitely
not the version attributed to Quin by Nick Bounds.

Philip Boyden

Anna Matsen said...

Thank you so much for the information concerning this poem. I had no idea why it was written. After I told a friend of mine the first half of this poem he asked me who Samuel Foote was, and what the poem meant. This has been very enlightening.

--Sarah N. Mattrison
______________________________________________________________________________
Shortest distance between two jokes: A straight line (think about it for a moment)
2000 mockingbirds: 2 kilo mockingbirds
10 rations: 1 decoration
2.4 statute miles of intravenous surgical tubing at Yale University Hospital: 1 I.V. League

Bob: Hey Larry, what's the difference between a toaster and a shaving razor?
Larry: I don't know, what?
Bob: Really, you don't know? Man, you must have a hard time shaving in the morning!

Madir Diane T said...

I just read the last comment by Bromleian@aol and wanted to thank him
for clarifying the role of Randolph Caldecott with this poem. The Great
Panjandrum was featured in a much loved childrens set of short stories
from my youth, however it left me with the impression Caldecott wrote
the piece. The illustrations are fabulous and add so much to the story
that I'm glad to be set straight at last on Foote as the author, and
Caldecott as the illustrator. Thanks!

harlene said...

Subj: Help me on some words

What do these mean ???
Joblillies
Garyulies

Bill Evarts said...

My grandmother recited this to my brother and I during world war 2 as a
memory excerciser.

Bill Evarts

Tristram Lett said...

My father quoted this ditty to us when we were kids and made it a piece of
memory work when we were on car trips. Because of its illogical nature and
silliness, it wasn't always easy for a five year old to get it right. Now I
see the correct version 52 years later, my father had a few minor errors
with his version. This has become part of the family heritage as now my
kids have learned it and I know they will pass it on to theirs. Thanks for
sharing!

Tristram S. Lett

Principal

Reef Knot Financial LtdBC

Alan Knight said...

My Sister and I came upon this fine piece of work when we were kids and recited it incessantly.
It was included in one of the volumes of 'Verse & Worse' published by Faber back in the 60's.

I still use it to astonish children with whenever I am unable to avoid their company.

Alan Knight.

Anonymous said...

I think with enough research, you will find "The Great Pandandrum" was a nonsense sentence,written specifically to be the world's longest sentence. It contains about 1050 words, if my very old memory serves me properly, in a single sentence, and the passage quoted here is simply the most familiar. I remember the verse, particularly the line, "What, no soap, and the ..." from the late 1950's.

Anonymous said...

I have the entire text, but it is buried somewhere in a stack of Playboy magazines that goes back to January, 1954. Lost issue #1, dammit. No, the set is NOT for sale.

Valri Ary said...

I have this poem in caligraphy. I did it in high school as an art project. To this day I have it framed and it hangs in my living room. The paper I wrote it on is now yellowed as I graduated in 1981 but the piece itself is a great source of conversation by all who read it. Strangely this is the first time I've ever googled it to find out more about it. I found it in a book in our school library and it was marked as author unknown. Evidently that was incorrect. I had someone years ago tell me it was a story about war. Now I know for sure what it's all about and who wrote it.

diakui said...

News you wrote is very nice and made ​​me feel at home reading on your website. But I apologize in advance because I wanted to ask you to read the article kata kata lucu, kata kata mutiara, kata kata romantis, kata kata bijak, kata kata cinta, pakar seo and many other interesting articles that can be read on my website ( pasang iklan ).

kata kata galau said...

Very interesting post thank you for sharing this information with us

dunia remaja said...

Thanks for posting about poetry. It is thought the best way to write. I think this is an informative post. kata kata cinta, kata kata bijak, kata kata galau nice share

unsgu said...

all of which served to make me salute, this site is full of helpful information and news that, hopefully cara besarkan penis with the frequently updated to make this website more useful lagi..thx

Anonymous said...

Jika anda seorang pemula dalam hal memasak dan ingin belajar memasak maka anda dapat membaca kumpulan resep makanan pada resepmembuat99.blogspot.com atau kunjungi saja situs kami dengan cara mengklik Resep Cara Membuat Roti Burung Hantu Yang Seram dan Enak yang mana berisi informasi resep spesial membuat sajian roti burung hantu seram dan enak. Selain itu anda juga dapat membaca kumpulan aneka resep sehat dari kami seperti Resep Cara Membuat Kue Muffin Cookies Yang Lezat ala Blueband yang dapat anda buat dengan mudah, atau membaca Resep Cara Membuat Omelet Makaroni Lezat Menyehatkan yang mana berisi resep membuat makanan omelet makaroni dengan mudah, atau membaca Resep Cara Membuat Sandwich Jabrik Keren Tapi Enak yang lucu dengan jabrik yang terbuat dari telur, atau membaca Resep Cara Membuat Kenari Choco Crunch, Kue Lebaran ala Blueband Lezat kue lezat sajian lebaran menyehatkan, atau membaca Resep Cara Membuat Nasi Goreng Hijau Enak Ala Blueband yang unik dengan warna hijau sehingga menggugah selera, atau membaca Resep Cara Membuat Roti Nanas Cokelat Sajian Sarapan Lezat yang mudah membuatnya dan enak rasanya, atau membaca Resep Cara Membuat Kue Mocca Kenari Cake Super Lezat salah satu kue lebaran yang enak, atau membaca Resep Cara Membuat Nasi Goreng Kornet Yang Enak Ala Blueband yang enak dengan kornet daging dan yang terakhir Resep Cara Membuat Roti Chocoberry Renyah Ala Blueband yang dapat anda pratekkan di rumah bersama anak-anak dan keluarga anda.

Anonymous said...

Jika anda seorang yang masih pemula dalam hal memasak dan menyajikan makanan, maka anda dapat membaca kumpulan resep yang kami bagikan yang mana dapat anda kunjungi langsung pada link resep-kuliner99.blogspot.com atau anda berminat dengan salah satu resep spesial dari kami yakni Resep Roti Burung Hantu Seram Tapi Enak Siap Santap Ala Blueband yang menyeramkan namun memiliki cita rasa yang tinggi. Selain itu kami juga memiliki banyak sekali resep masakan baik indonesia maupaun asing seperti Resep Kue Muffin Cookies Ala Blueband Super Lezat yang lezat dengan perpaduan cookies dan muffin, atau melihat informasi Resep Omelet Makaroni Telur Ala Blueband Lezat dan Gurih yang mudah membuatnya serta menyehatkan, atau melihat informasi Resep Sandwich Jabrik, Sandwich Gaul Ala Blueband yang mudah membuatnya serta bentuk jabrik yang super lucu atau melihat informasi Resep Kenari Choco Crunch Ala Blueband, Kue Lebaran Lezat yang lezat sangat cocok sebagai hidangan saat lebaran tiba, atau melihat informasi Resep Nasi Goreng Hijau Ala Blueband Enak Cocok Untuk Sarapan yang lezat dengan warna hijau, sangat cocok untuk variasi masakan dari nasi goreng, atau melihat informasi Resep Roti Nanas Cokelat Ala Blueband Lezat yang lezat dengan perpaduan nanas dan juga cokelat, atau melihat informasi Resep Mocca Kenari Cake Ala Blueband Super Lezat yang enak dengan rasa mocca sangat pas untuk lebaran, atau melihat informasi Resep Nasi Goreng Kornet Ala Blueband Enak Cocok Untuk Sarapan yang lezat dengan campuran kornet daging dan yang terakhir juga ada Resep Roti Chocoberry Renyah Ala Blueband, Sajian Sarapan Lezat yang dapat anda buat di rumah dengan hasil kue blueberry yang renyah serta menyehatkan.

Anonymous said...

Bagi anda yang bingung dengan harga mesin seperti mesin cuci, mesin fotocopy dan juga mesin jahit anda dapat melihat daftar harganya pada situs kami dengan cara Baca Artikel yang mana di dalamnya kami telah membahas harga yang di serta spesifikasi yang mana semoga bermanfaat untuk kita semua. Jika anda sedang bingung untuk membuka suatu usaha yang menjanjikan maka langsung saja lihat artikel yang kami sediakan, dimana pada artikel tersebut kami membahas referensi peluang usaha yang dapat anda jalankan dengan sangat mudah. Jika anda ingin belajar memasak, saya anjurkan untuk baca resep terlengkap atau anda langsung saja baca kumpulan resep indonesia yang mana kami menyediakan banyak sekali informasi resep terkini. Anda juga dapat klik info resep enak dan lezat atau langsung mengikuti url kami dengan cara klik resep masakan khas Indonesia yang mana telah tersedia resep lengkap. Anda juga bisa baca artikel resep tradisional atau langsung mengunjungi baca artikel cara membuat makanan lezat yang mana disana terdapap resep lengkap. Anda juga dapat melihat resep membuat makanan super lezat atau ikuti saja linkresep membuat sajian enak yang mana menyediakan banyak info resep. Yang terakhir anda bisa read more info resep terbaru atau membaca baca selengkapnya resep asli Indonesia yang mana telah terdapat info resep kuliner terlengkap.

Unknown said...

Helpful once ya news,
thanks a lot ya pa admin has given this minimalist livingroom design | children's bedrooms | yamaha yzf r good news.

Nantikanlah said...

Thank you for your very nice article, do not forget to read my articles also Kata Kata Galau, Kata Kata Cinta, status fb lucu and many other interesting articles on my blog that.

Unknown said...

thanks so much i like very so much your post.
modern living room

Accomplish High School Equivalency via GED said...

Very nice I accept as true with your thoughts. Many thanks a great deal I’ve benefited therefore usually I’ll visit your website.

Online Diploma said...

Such a great blog you have shared with us,i really like to visit here,Thanks for sharing.

kata kata said...

Thank you for the information you have provided, I was pleased to read the article in this blog.

Unknown said...

I like your stuff, classic right, Now... everything with digital, perdita di peso thanks for remind me for this memories
water heater gainsborough
water heater ariston
water heater rinnai
water heater delizia
water heater wika

Birthday Invitations Templates said...

I would like to show thanks to this writer for
rescuing me from such a predicament. After browsing throughout the online world and finding views that were not helpful, I figured my life was well over.Please look back to my website Elegant Birthday Party Invite Template

Unknown said...

salam sukses kakak, saya lagi cari cari resep makanan, eh taunya mampir ke blog kakak ini, kemaren saya liburan ambil paket wisata lombok, saya ada beli oleh oleh pada toko yang jual madu asli di pulau lombok island tersebut, nah kakak punya gak resep resep makanan yang berbahan dasar madu atau resep kombinasi yang memakai madu ? terimakasih ya untuk tulisan tulisan kakak.. keep writes

Unknown said...

Thank you for the information you have provided, I was pleased to read the article in this blog.
Living Room Design
Living Room Remodel
Living Room in Spanish
Living Room Toy Storage
Living Room Decor Ideas

Unknown said...

This is my initial visit below. I was so entertaining things in your blog site, especially its conversation. From the tons of understanding on your articles, I presume I'm not the just one to have all the leisure here! Remains to work well. For a very long time I intended to write something on my site and I provided it a thought

www.babyshowerinvitationswording.org
Cute Baby Shower Invites
Baby Shower Invitations Wording
Baby Shower Invitations For Twins
Baby Shower Invite Template
Cute Invitations Baby Shower

Unknown said...

This is my first visit here. I was so entertaining stuff in your blog, especially its discussion. From the tons of knowledge on your articles, I guess I'm not the only one to have all the leisure here! Continues to work well. For a long time I wanted to write something on my site and I gave it a thought ...

www.freebirthdayinvitation.org
Surprise Birthday Party Invitations
Free Birthday Invitations
Design an Birthday Invitation
Make Your Own Party Invitations
Customized Birthday Invitations

Unknown said...

This is my very first see below. I was so amusing stuff in your blog site, specifically its discussion. From the lots of knowledge on your write-ups, I guess I'm not the just one to have all the convenience below! Remains to function well. For a very long time I wanted to create something on my website and also I gave it a thought

www.graduationinvitationtemplates.info
Printable Graduation Cards
Custom Graduation Announcements
Graduation Invitation Templates
Diy Graduation Announcements
Free Graduation Announcement Templates

Admin said...

This is my initial visit below. I was so entertaining things in your blog site, especially its conversation. From the tons of understanding on your articles, I presume I'm not the just one to have all the leisure here! Remains to work well. For a very long time I intended to write something on my site and I provided it a thought

www.babyshowerinvitationswording.org
Cute Baby Shower Invites
Baby Shower Invitations Wording
Baby Shower Invitations For Twins
Baby Shower Invite Template
Cute Invitations Baby Shower

Unknown said...

This is my primary see here. I was so amusing stuff in your blog website, specifically its conversation. From the lots of understanding on your reviews, I presume I'm not the merely one to have all the comfort below! Remains to work well. For a long time I wished to develop something on my site and also I gave it a thought, please give some remark for my website

Living Room Ideas
Living Room Windows
Cheap Living Room Decorating Ideas
Living Room Remodel
Living Room Paint
Living Room Ideas Pinterest

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.

Unknown said...

This is my first visit here. I was so entertaining stuff in your blog, especially its discussion. From the tons of knowledge on your articles, I guess I'm not the only one to have all the leisure here! Continues to work well. For a long time I wanted to write something on my site and I gave it a thought ...

http://www.freebirthdayinvitation.org
Surprise Birthday Party Invitations
Free Birthday Invitations
Design an Birthday Invitation
Make Your Own Party Invitations
Customized Birthday Invitations

Unknown said...

This is my very first see below. I was so amusing stuff in your blog site, specifically its discussion. From the lots of knowledge on your write-ups, I guess I'm not the just one to have all the convenience below! Remains to function well. For a very long time I wanted to create something on my website and also I gave it a thought, please give some comment for my site

Printable Graduation Cards
Custom Graduation Announcements
Graduation Invitation Templates
Diy Graduation Announcements
Free Graduation Announcement Templates

Unknown said...

This is my primary see here. I was so amusing stuff in your blog website, specifically its conversation. From the lots of understanding on your reviews, I presume I'm not the merely one to have all the comfort below! Remains to work well. For a long time I wished to develop something on my site and also I gave it a thought, please give some remark for my website


Living Room Ideas
Living Room Windows
Cheap Living Room Decorating Ideas
Living Room Remodel
Living Room Paint
Living Room Ideas Pinterest

Unknown said...

This is my main see here. I was so amusing things in your blog internet site, specifically its conversation. From the bunches of recognizing on your evaluations, I assume I'm not the simply one to have all the comfort here! Remains to work well. For a long period of time I desired to create something on my website and I provided it an idea, please offer some opinion for my site

Bridal Shower Invitation Wording
Bridal Luncheon Invitations
Tea Party Bridal Shower Invitations
Wording for Bridal Shower Invitations
Printable Bridal Shower Games

Unknown said...

This is line is my favorite that is published in tis poetry My great religion is a belief in the blood, the flesh, as being wiser than the intellect. We can go wrong in our minds. But what our blood feels and believes and says, is always true. The intellect is only a bit
and a bridle.
Rubber Ducky Baby Shower Invitations
Free Baby Shower Invitation Card Template
Free Baby Shower Invitation Card Template
Sample Baby Shower Invitations For A Girl
Baby Shower Invitations For Boy And Girl
Baby Shower Invitations Wording

Unknown said...

This is line is my favored that is released in tis poetry My excellent religion is a belief in the blood, the flesh, as being wiser compared to the intelligence. We can fail in our minds. However what our blood really feels and thinks as well as states, is constantly real. The intellect is just a bit as well as a bridle.

First Boy Birthday Invitation
90th Birthday Invitations Ebay
1st Birthday Boy Invitation Cards
18th Birthday Invitations Free Printable
Sample Birthday Invitation Letter
Free Birthday Invitations

Thuong Nguyen said...

Thông tin chi tiết hơn, ông Đào Anh Tuấn, Tổng giám đốc công ty vận tải hàng hoá cho biết, vận tải hàng hóa của đơn vị thue xe tai tpchm gia re vẫn chưa đạt thành quả tốt nhưng hành khách thời gian qua tăng khá tuyệt vời với mức hơn 10% so với năm 2016. khác biệt, doanh thu tăng rất cao, nhất là trong tháng 6 vừa qua tăng hơn 50%.

Chúng tôi phải áp dụng nhiều giải pháp thue xe tai chuyen hang Ha Noi linh hoạt, trong đó ưu tiên tăng nhanh tàu chạy các chặng ngắn như: Sài Gòn - Phan Thiết, Sài Gòn - Nha Trang. Tháng 5 vừa qua, đưa vào khai thác tuyến thế hệ Nha Trang - Huế và đã đạt 70% hệ số khai thác”, ông Tuấn nói và cho biết, khác lạ, lần đầu tiên đường sắt xây dưng chính sách giá vé linh hoạt, khuyến mãi, giảm rét mướt vé tập thể, công ty du lịch, liên kết nâng chất lượng vệ sinh toa xe, tương tác với khách hàng thuê xe tải chở hàng Bình Dương giá rẻ nhiều hơn. “Chính điều này đã hút lượng khách lớn quay quay về với đường sắt, ông Tuấn lý giải.

cetak online said...

buruan cek harga termurah di aqur printing.
kami melayani jasa cetak buku manasik. buku yasin. undangan. novel. id card. nota. dan masih ada yang lainnya

Unknown said...

เกมสล็อตออนไลน์ เครดิตฟรี slot online pgslot สล็อตออนไลน์ โบนัส100
https://write.as/spinbot01/kaarkhwbkhum-aarmnnanthamaihkhunchnaekmsl-taid-aimwaacchaepn-sl-t-nailn-muue-thu

Post a Comment