by Walter De la Mare (1873 - 1956)

'Sooeep!'
Language: English 
Black as a chimney is his face
  And ivory white his teeth,
And in his brass-bound cart he rides,
  The chestnut blooms beneath.

'Sooeep, Sooeep!' he cries, and brightly peers
  This way and that, to see
With his two light-blue shining eyes
  What custom there may be.

And once inside the house, he'll squat,
  And drive his rods on high,
Till twirls his sudden sooty brush
  Against the morning sky.

Then 'mid his bulging bags of soot,
  With half the world asleep,
His small cart wheels him off again,
  Still hoarsely bawling, 'Sooeep!'

Please note: this text, provided here for educational and research use, is in the public domain in Canada and the U.S., but it may still be copyright in other legal jurisdictions. The LiederNet Archive makes no guarantee that the above text is public domain in your country. Please consult your country's copyright statutes or a qualified IP attorney to verify whether a certain text is in the public domain in your country or if downloading or distributing a copy constitutes fair use. The LiederNet Archive assumes no legal responsibility or liability for the copyright compliance of third parties.

Confirmed with Peacock Pie. A Book of Rhymes by Walter de la Mare, London: Constable & Co. Ltd., [1920], page 88.


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Researcher for this page: Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2014-04-15
Line count: 16
Word count: 93