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by Edward Lear (1812 - 1888)

Turkey Discipline
Language: English 
Horrid Turkeys! what a pother!
Leave my Mother's gulls alone!
We, alas! can get no other,
If those precious two are gone! —
Still you persevere! — You Monsters! —
Over you have come — pell-mell! —
Oh! my gulls! — if you come near them
I will utter such a yell!!!

" Bless my heart — nine monstrous turkeys! —
Gracious! — all the garden's full! —
And one great one with a jerk has
Pounced upon my favourite gull!"
— Through the noise of turkeys calling,
Now was heard, distinct and well,
From the Southern window squalling
Many a long and awful yell.

Down rushed Fanny and Eliza; —
— Screams and squeaks and yowlings shrill, —
— Gulls and turkeys with their cries around them echoed o'er the hill: —
What would they not give to fetch them
Such a blow! — sad to tell —
As poor Fanny ran to catch them,
Evil turkeys — down she fell! —

(adapted to the tune of " Shades of Evening")

Text Authorship:

  • by Edward Lear (1812 - 1888) [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):

  • by Ash Graham , "Turkey Discipline", 2014 [ baritone, violin, clarinet, violoncello and piano ], from Five Poems of Edward Lear, no. 3 [sung text not yet checked]

Researcher for this page: Joost van der Linden [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2026-01-22
Line count: 23
Word count: 163

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