Ernest was an elephant, a great big fellow,
Leonard was a lion with a six foot tail,
George was a goat, and his beard was yellow,
And James was a very small snail.
Leonard had a stall, and a great big strong one,
Earnest had a manger, and its walls were thick,
George found a pen, but I think it was the wrong one,
And James sat down on a brick
Earnest started trumpeting, and cracked his manger,
Leonard started roaring, and shivered his stall,
James gave a huffle of a snail in danger
And nobody heard him at all.
Earnest started trumpeting and raised such a rumpus,
Leonard started roaring and trying to kick,
James went on a journey with the goats new compass
And he reached the end of his brick.
Ernest was an elephant and very well intentioned,
Leonard was a lion with a brave new tail,
George was a goat, as I think I have mentioned,
but James was only a snail.
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Zoo Breakout
Here's the beginning of some verses in response to the Amsterdam great escape that Elizabeth reported:
Circus Break Out
'Twas early in June of oughty-eight
A giraffe kicked down the bloody gate
And we proceeded to parade --
What a spectacle we made!
Two zebras led the column and danced a merry jig,
With a giraffe, fifteen camels, seven llamas, and a pot-bellied pig!
As we neared the city square
One gentleman did declare,
"Pink rabbits are hard to take,
But this makes me poor head ache!"
Two zebras led the column and danced a merry jig,
With a giraffe, fifteen camels, seven llamas, and a pot-bellied pig.
Cheerily,
Charley Noble -
Zoo breakout in Amsterdam reminds me of this poem
From guest Elizabeth (contact)
June 30, 2008 - 7:23 p.m. CDT Giraffe helps camels, zebras escape from circus AMSTERDAM, Netherlands — Amsterdam police say 15 camels, two zebras and an undetermined number of llamas and potbellied swine briefly escaped from a traveling Dutch circus after a giraffe kicked a hole in their cage. Police spokesman Arnout Aben says the animals wandered in a group through a nearby neighborhood for several hours after their 5:30 a.m. breakout. The animals were back at the circus later Monday after being rounded up by police and circus workers with the assistance of dogs. Aben says neighbors fed some of the animals — which he said was a bad idea — but they were tame and nobody was hurt. Says Aben: "You have to imagine somebody rubbing his eyes first thing in the morning and saying, 'Am I seeing things or is that 15 camels walking past?'" -
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Zoo Breakout!
Elizabeth-
I've been trying to compose verses to commemorate this great escape.
Charley Noble
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Classic Poetry
From guest Alex (contact)
Like most of the reviews, I read this first when I was much younger. Now I am able to read it to my children and more fully appreciate the majesty. Truly superb -
From guest Rae (contact)
This is but one of the wonderful poems of A.A. Milne. Each and every one is a classic. Children love them almost as much as we adults do -
Even snail's can be brave and adventurous!!!
James -
four friends poem
From guest deborah (contact)
this poem is hilarious. my mom and i enjoyed reading it. thank you for sharing it with us. -
THIS POEM
From guest Tarquin (contact)
this poem is the best poem in the world. this, and that other one i like. but, seriously, this one's bloody good. -
thanks
From guest Lynda Duhaney (contact)
Thanks for the poem. I have been searching for this poem and similar ones-preferably an anthology- but can't find any. -
The one I remembered
From guest elena (contact)
What a delight to find it on the internet. I used to read Milne's poems to my children regularly. Of them all, this was the favorite and, 45 years later, the only one I can still recite by heart. -
Memories
From guest Elaine Thornton (contact)
My mother who will be 94 in November has just started to sing this poem/song and could not remember more than the first verse. She said as a girl she can remember sitting with friends around the "girl guide" camp fire singing this. Thank you, now I can let her have a good sing song with all the verses. It's a delightful little poem. -
timing is everything
My 5 and a half yr old grandson just now came in to my kitchen holding 3 snails! I say "they must go outside" He leaves and I run to a poetry shelf to find only Now We Are Six, but not When We Were Very Young!!....so I hurry to google: Four Friends,poem,Milne....and was thrilled to find this so fast.......update...in the back yard now
there are 15 snails on a brick proceding with their marathon...I
read poem to my daughter (camera in hand) and grandson! : )
I was thrilled that my 59 and a half yr. old brain remembered the
title........my mother (91 !) raised me on Christopher Robin and
Winnie the Pooh!!...she has her set of books from college!! -
From guest E. Canter (contact)
My 5 and a half year old grandson just now has come in to my kitchen on this March sunny Sunday with 3 snails in his hand. I say they must go back outside and I go zooming to my shelf for THIS poem..only to find Now We are Six, but not When We Were Very Young...(hiding in the house somewhere?!)...so I hurry to google "Four Friends,Milne" and am thrilled to find this SO FAST!!!...I leave the screen on, go to the back yard to find this little boy's hand holding 12+ snails...that now are on a marathon race on the brick I have provided : ) I read poem to his mom (camera in hand) and to him! THANK YOU FOR POSTING THIS!!!!! -
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Simply fun
I read this poem ages ago, but when I just re-read it it was just as funny.
A.A.Milne writes simply, funny and I think every child should know him. -
A great poem
I remember it from my junior days ast school where we had to learn the words by heart. I loved it then and I love it now
Janeana -
Amusing
AA Milne wrote the Winnie the Pooh books. This is a delightful poem which should amuse any child. -
good great awesome
as always a.a. milne rocks... i love his poetry.. read some of it in school to my juniors off and on..
sam
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I always liked this poem, since I wa little. I'm 47 now and just rediscovered it. We have three dogs; them p;lus me makes the four friends, and that's what made me think of this poem again.
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I love this poem so much because of the snail. My friend Emma who has also put a comment about this poem got me into the poem after she had found it in a book at skool. This poem rocks and I think James was a very clever snail.
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I have had all of A.A.Milne's book since I was 4 in 1965 and I love the poems but most of all this one. I read them to my Daughter who is now 10 and she also likes this one and the one about Sir Brian Bottany.
The difference between the four friends is great, especially little James and his "huffle of a snail in danger". I also like that the context of the poem is completely open, you can wrap any situation and thoughts around it that you like. -
I love the poem because of the snail on the brick. The snail rocks. I was absoutely delighted when he got to the end of the brick. My friend has it as her msn name. This poem is my favourite ever!
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