Disobedience -- A A Milne

(Poem #463) 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 with- out 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

Winnie-the-Pooh and Piglet... Woozles, Jagulars and Heffalumps...   Honey...
Kanga and Roo, not to mention Tigger... are you feeling nostalgic yet? Milne's
tales of the Hundred Acre Wood need no introduction -  nor, for that matter,
contradiction <grin>. Seriously, though, I cannot imagine a childhood lived
without Edward Bear and his many friends, and I'm sure the same holds true for
people all over the world and of every generation.

Equally enchanting are Milne's books of light verse - 'When We Were Very Young',
and 'Now We Are Six'. The ballad of James James and his errant mother was my
favourite poem from the former; I'm told that when _I_ was very young, I used to
recite the entire thing at breakneck speed and earsplitting volume -
_especially_ the last stanza.

Ah, fond memories. And the truly wonderful thing is that I still get every bit
as much enjoyment from Milne today as I did back then. Sigh.

thomas.

PS. Many thanks to my mother for suggesting I run this poem on the Minstrels,
and for typing it out for me (since I don't have a copy near at hand, more's the
pity).

[Bio]

  b. Jan. 18, 1882, London, Eng.
  d. Jan. 31, 1956, Hartfield, Sussex

in full ALAN ALEXANDER MILNE, English humorist, the originator of the immensely
popular stories of Christopher Robin and his toy bear, Winnie-the-Pooh.

Milne attended Westminster School, London, and Trinity College, Cambridge. In
1906 he joined the staff of Punch, writing humorous verse and whimsical essays
in a style that quickly dated. He achieved considerable success with a series of
light comedies such as Mr. Pim Passes By (1921) and Michael and Mary (1930).
Milne also wrote one memorable detective novel, The Red House Mystery (1922);
and a children's play, Make-Believe (1918), before stumbling upon his true
literary métier with some verses written for his son Christopher Robin. These
grew into the collections When We Were Very Young (1924) and Now We Are Six
(1927). These remain classics of light verse for children.

His most popular works were the two sets of stories about the adventures of
Christopher Robin and his toy animals--Pooh, Piglet, Tigger, Kanga, Roo, Rabbit,
Owl, and Eeyore--as told in Winnie-the-Pooh (1926) and The House at Pooh Corner
(1928). Ernest Shepard's illustrations added to the books' charm. In 1929 Milne
adapted another children's classic, The Wind in the Willows, by Kenneth Grahame,
for the stage as Toad of Toad Hall. A decade later he wrote his autobiography,
It's Too Late Now.