I found a little beetle; so that Beetle was his name,
And I called him Alexander and he answered just the same.
I put him in a match-box, and I kept him all the day ...
And Nanny let my beetle out -
Yes, Nanny let my beetle out -
She went and let my beetle out -
And Beetle ran away.
She said she didn't mean it, and I never said she did,
She said she wanted matches and she just took off the lid,
She said that she was sorry, but it's difficult to catch
An excited sort of beetle you've mistaken for a match.
She said that she was sorry, and I really mustn't mind,
As there's lots and lots of beetles which she's certain we could find,
If we looked about the garden for the holes where beetles hid -
And we'd get another match-box and write BEETLE on the lid.
We went to all the places which a beetle might be near,
And we made the sort of noises which a beetle likes to hear,
And I saw a kind of something, and I gave a sort of shout:
"A beetle-house and Alexander Beetle coming out!"
It was Alexander Beetle I'm as certain as can be,
And he had a sort of look as if he thought it must be Me,
And he had a sort of look as if he thought he ought to say:
"I'm very very sorry that I tried to run away."
And Nanny's very sorry too for you-know-what-she-did,
And she's writing ALEXANDER very blackly on the lid,
So Nan and Me are friends, because it's difficult to catch
An excited Alexander you've mistaken for a match.
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Comments
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For my grandson
From guest Nancy Larsen (contact)
This poem seems to have been written with my six year old grandson, Jack, in mind. He loves insects of all kinds and was selling ladybugs the last time I visited him. I have recited it to him so many times that he and his 4 year old sister have learned it. Fun. -
wonderful
Absolutely wonderful -
my favourite poem from childhood
From guest Andrea Smith (contact)
I absolutely adore this poem and my mum tells me that at six years of age I could recite it from memory. I now have a son who also loves the poem, although not quite as much as he likes catching beetles in the garden and keeping them in match boxes in his bedroom!!! -
Nice
So Nan and Me are friends...I mean milne and me are friends..he has the capability to compose such innocent thoughts. I do not like Beetles but I like this poem very much. -
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name of poem book by AA Milne
From guest Melanie Dolinski (contact)
The name of the book that this poem was in, according to some other sites, is 'Now we are Six' 1927 AA Milne -
I love this poem
From guest Maddison (contact)
I thinkthis poem is really good i love all the poems you rie and hope that when i am older i will have all the poem books. -
brill
From guest ellie warren (contact)
it is fabulosely brilliant and i luv it amazingly from ellie age 13 -
I've loved this poem since I was a young child. I had a book of poems by various poets with "Forgiven" in it . . . I wish I could remember the name of the book. All I can remember is that was a hardback book with an orange/red cover. I got it as a baby gift when I was born in 1953.
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