Matilda told such Dreadful Lies,
It made one Gasp and Stretch one's Eyes;
Her Aunt, who, from her Earliest Youth,
Had kept a Strict Regard for Truth,
Attempted to Believe Matilda:
The effort very nearly killed her,
And would have done so, had not She
Discovered this Infirmity.
For once, towards the Close of Day,
Matilda, growing tired of play,
And finding she was left alone,
Went tiptoe to the Telephone
And summoned the Immediate Aid
Of London's Noble Fire-Brigade.
Within an hour the Gallant Band
Were pouring in on every hand,
From Putney, Hackney Downs, and Bow.
With Courage high and Hearts a-glow,
They galloped, roaring through the Town,
'Matilda's House is Burning Down!'
Inspired by British Cheers and Loud
Proceeding from the Frenzied Crowd,
They ran their ladders through a score
Of windows on the Ball Room Floor;
And took Peculiar Pains to Souse
The Pictures up and down the House,
Until Matilda's Aunt succeeded
In showing them they were not needed;
And even then she had to pay
To get the Men to go away,
It happened that a few Weeks later
Her Aunt was off to the Theatre
To see that Interesting Play
The Second Mrs. Tanqueray.
She had refused to take her Niece
To hear this Entertaining Piece:
A Deprivation Just and Wise
To Punish her for Telling Lies.
That Night a Fire did break out--
You should have heard Matilda Shout!
You should have heard her Scream and Bawl,
And throw the window up and call
To People passing in the Street--
(The rapidly increasing Heat
Encouraging her to obtain
Their confidnce) -- but all in vain!
For every time she shouted 'Fire!'
They only answered 'Little Liar!'
And therefore when her Aunt returned,
Matilda, and the House, were Burned.
In a published book
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Comments
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Matilda
From guest Lakshitha Deshan (contact)
I think this poem give us a great advice not to lies Mr. Hilaire had taken a humorous incident to give this idea... So this is a great poem..... -
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Matilda
From guest Anthia (contact)
Oh my goodness. Do you know I had to recite this poem at school as a child. Our teacher made sure to it that anyone who wanted to go out to play,had to recite the poem with no mistakes. It was my favorite poem at school. Now I am teaching it to my six year old and she is enjoying every bit of it. It is so wonderful to see this poem after all these years. Mr. Hilaire Belloc is a great writer. -
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Matilda
From guest Cathy (contact)
I love this poem because I used to read it over and over again as a child. I used to act it out as a monologue to the enjoyment of my family (well of course they had to enjoy it!). How lovely to find it again after all these years. -
What a Victorian view of the world
From guest Bea (contact)
If all who told lies were burned to death, the world would be one huge conflagration. Imagine reading this poem to an impressionable child for anything but a laugh, a black, black laugh. Belloc's other poems. though not as popular, as as bad - death for chewing string and banging doors? Maybe not. Though he was an intellectual of his time, he is remembered not for his thoughts on history but for his Cautionary Tales. -
matilda who told lies, and was burned to death
From guest Angeli (contact)
This poem is really nice because it
tells kids not to lie. -
A poem with a great Moral
From guest Annonymous (contact)
In this poem Matilda express her self as an michevious girl ..and at the end she is beign punished for lying although it was not her fault it always depends on what type of environment she lived in and the people she associated, but we cant put the blame on because the cruelity which is shown in people who heard her screems must have knew that she is burning but they did not care...they gave a little girl death sentence for lying...
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Matilda is one of the poems to which I aspire, it hs it all rhyme, meter, story and above all brilliant wit.
Hilaire Belloc is beyond any doubt a great poet, that he put his talents to making the world smile just adds to that.
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cool!
From guest Nina (contact)
Ithink matilda is awsome and is so funny! It is one of those poems wich are in the "Have to read." list. -
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English
From guest Kriz (contact)
We're doing this poem in English and we're supposed to byheart the poem as well as convert it into a story and get a print out. It seriously is a really inspiring poem. -
Lovely
From guest Pim (contact)
It is a touching poem. It always inspired me to "not lie". But that was when i believed in everything.lol. Very nice poem I just love it -
poem
From guest lois brown (contact)
we are doing this poem in a compotishtion and it is sounding really good -
: )
From guest Christina (contact)
You are missing a line.... in between "For once, towards the Close of Day," and "And finding she was left alone," there needs to be "Matilda, growing tired of play," and the line is "but all in vain" not "but it was all in vain" I enjoy this poem very much, I took it to memory as a child, and loved it always -
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Thank you Christina. I did some searching and you are indeed right. Thanks again and that is a keen eye you have there!
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And the saddest part is, an artist was lost in that fire, from Belloc's account,
Matilda told such Dreadful Lies,
It made one Gasp and Stretch one’s Eyes;
Just a misunderstood artist, lol
A delightful poem to read. -
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matilda [ poem]
From guest Lynn Snee (contact)
I love thepoem Matilda, I remembe most of it off by heart as we had to recite it at school. There's just one thing I would like to poin out, there is a line missing. it should say. For once towards he close of day _Matilda growing tired of play_ and finding she was left alone, -
Oh the memories
From guest Nita (contact)
I'd forgotten how much I loved reading Hilaire Belloc as a child. My mum bought me the 'Cautionary Tales' for my birthday and I thought they were the best poems I'd ever read. I think my mum might have been trying to tell me something...hehe -
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Very well written
This poem is in narrative form. The poem has a great moral. Children of all ages need to read this. In a very beautiful melodious way the poet has shown the result of lies. Sometimes the damaged caused by lie is physical and visible but most of the times the damage is done but liar can’t see or understand that.
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