There was an Old Man with a beard, Who said, 'It is just as I feared! Two Owls and a Hen, Four Larks and a Wren, Have all built their nests in my beard!' There was an Old Person of Ischia, Whose conduct grew friskier and friskier; He dance hornpipes and jigs, And ate thousands of figs, That lively Old Person of Ischia. There was an Old Man in a boat, Who said, 'I'm afloat, I'm afloat!' When they said, 'No! you ain't!' He was ready to faint, That unhappy Old Man in a boat. There was a Young Lady of Hull, Who was chased by a virulent bull; But she seized on a spade, And called out, 'Who's afraid?' Which distracted that virulent bull. There was an Old Person of Ems, Who casually fell in the Thames; And when he was found They said he was drowned, That unlucky Old Person of Ems. There was an Old Man who said, 'Hush! I perceive a young bird in this bush!' When they said, 'Is it small?' He replied, 'Not at all! It is four times as big as the bush!' There was a Young Lady of Russia, Who screamed so that no one could hush her; Her screams were extreme, No one heard such a scream, As was screamed by that lady of Russia. There was an Old Person of Ewell, Who chiefly subsisted on gruel; But to make it more nice He inserted some mice, Which refreshed that Old Person of Ewell. There was an old man in a tree, Whose whiskers were lovely to see; But the birds of the air, Pluck'd them perfectly bare, To make themselves nests on that tree.