Part 1
# Now we are six ### By Milne, A. A. (Alan Alexander)
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NOW WE ARE SIX
BY A.A. MILNE WITH DECORATIONS BY ERNEST H. SHEPARD
NEW YORK E. P. DUTTON & CO., INC.
NOW WE ARE SIX, COPYRIGHT, 1927, BY E. P. DUTTON & CO., INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED PRINTED IN U.S.A.
First Printing Sept., 1927 Tenth Printing Sept., 1927 Twentieth Printing Sept., 1927 Thirtieth Printing Sept., 1927 Thirty-third Printing Sept., 1927 Thirty-fifth Printing Nov., 1927 Fortieth Printing Nov., 1927 Forty-fifth Printing Nov., 1927 Fiftieth Printing Nov., 1927 Fifty-fifth Printing Dec., 1927 Sixtieth Printing Dec., 1927 Sixty-fifth Printing Dec., 1927 Seventieth Printing Dec., 1927 Seventy-fourth Printing Dec., 1928 Seventy-eighth Printing Sept., 1929 Eightieth Printing May, 1930 Eighty-fourth Printing May, 1931 Eighty-sixth Printing July, 1932 Eighty-ninth Printing July, 1933
New Edition Aug., 1935
Ninety-first Printing Aug., 1935 Ninety-fourth Printing Aug., 1935
TO ANNE DARLINGTON NOW SHE IS SEVEN AND BECAUSE SHE IS SO SPESHAL
NOW WE ARE SIX
INTRODUCTION
When you are reciting poetry, which is a thing we never do, you find sometimes, just as you are beginning, that Uncle John is still telling Aunt Rose that if he can't find his spectacles he won't be able to hear properly, and does she know where they are; and by the time everybody has stopped looking for them, you are at the last verse, and in another minute they will be saying, "Thank-you, thank-you," without really knowing what it was all about. So, next time, you are more careful; and, just before you begin you say, "_Er-h'r'm!_" very loudly, which means, "Now then, here we are"; and everybody stops talking and looks at you: which is what you want. So then you get in the way of saying it whenever you are asked to recite ... and sometimes it is just as well, and sometimes it isn't.... And by and by you find yourself saying it without thinking. Well, this bit which I am writing now, called Introduction, is really the _er-h'r'm_ of the book, and I have put it in, partly so as not to take you by surprise, and partly because I can't do without it now. There are some very clever writers who say that it is quite easy not to have an _er-h'r'm_, but I don't agree with them. I think it is much easier not to have all the rest of the book.
What I want to explain in the Introduction is this. We have been nearly three years writing this book. We began it when we were very young ... and now we are six. So, of course, bits of it seem rather baby-ish to us, almost as if they had slipped out of some other book by mistake. On page whatever-it-is there is a thing which is simply three-ish, and when we read it to ourselves just now we said, "Well, well, well," and turned over rather quickly. So we want you to know that the name of the
## book doesn't mean that this is us being six all the time, but that it
is about as far as we've got at present, and we half think of stopping there.
A. A. M.
P.S.--Pooh wants us to say that he thought it was a different book; and he hopes you won't mind, but he walked through it one day, looking for his friend Piglet, and sat down on some of the pages by mistake.
CONTENTS
SOLITUDE
KING JOHN'S CHRISTMAS
BUSY
SNEEZLES
BINKER
CHERRY STONES
THE KNIGHT WHOSE ARMOUR DIDN'T SQUEAK
BUTTERCUP DAYS
THE CHARCOAL BURNER
US TWO
THE OLD SAILOR
THE ENGINEER
JOURNEY'S END
FURRY BEAR
FORGIVEN
THE EMPEROR'S RHYME
KNIGHT-IN-ARMOUR
COME OUT WITH ME
DOWN BY THE POND
THE LITTLE BLACK HEN
THE FRIEND
THE GOOD LITTLE GIRL
A THOUGHT
KING HILARY AND THE BEGGARMAN
SWING SONG
EXPLAINED
TWICE TIMES
THE MORNING WALK
CRADLE SONG
WAITING AT THE WINDOW
PINKLE PURR
WIND ON THE HILL
FORGOTTEN
IN THE DARK
THE END
NOW WE ARE SIX
SOLITUDE
I have a house where I go When there's too many people, I have a house where I go Where no one can be; I have a house where I go, Where nobody ever says "No"; Where no one says anything--so There is no one but me.
KING JOHN'S CHRISTMAS
King John was not a good man-- He had his little ways. And sometimes no one spoke to him For days and days and days. And men who came across him, When walking in the town, Gave him a supercilious stare, Or passed with noses in the air-- And bad King John stood dumbly there, Blushing beneath his crown.
King John was not a good man, And no good friends had he. He stayed in every afternoon... But no one came to tea. And, round about December, The cards upon his shelf Which wished him lots of Christmas cheer, And fortune in the coming year, Were never from his near and dear, But only from himself.
King John was not a good man, Yet had his hopes and fears. They'd given him no present now For years and years and years. But every year at Christmas, While minstrels stood about, Collecting tribute from the young For all the songs they might have sung, He stole away upstairs and hung A hopeful stocking out.
King John was not a good man, He lived his life aloof; Alone he thought a message out While climbing up the roof. He wrote it down and propped it Against the chimney stack: "TO ALL AND SUNDRY--NEAR AND FAR-- F. CHRISTMAS IN PARTICULAR." And signed it not "Johannes R." But very humbly, "JACK."
"I want some crackers, And I want some candy; I think a box of chocolates Would come in handy; I don't mind oranges, I do like nuts! And I SHOULD like a pocket-knife That really cuts. And, oh! Father Christmas, if you love me at all, Bring me a big, red india-rubber ball!"
King John was not a good man-- He wrote this message out, And gat him to his room again, Descending by the spout. And all that night he lay there, A prey to hopes and fears. "I think that's him a-coming now," (Anxiety bedewed his brow.) "He'll bring one present, anyhow-- The first I've had for years."
"Forget about the crackers, And forget about the candy; I'm sure a box of chocolates Would never come in handy; I don't like oranges, I don't want nuts, And I HAVE got a pocket-knife That almost cuts. But, oh! Father Christmas, if you love me at all, Bring me a big, red india-rubber ball!"
King John was not a good man-- Next morning when the sun Rose up to tell a waiting world That Christmas had begun, And people seized their stockings, And opened them with glee, And crackers, toys and games appeared, And lips with sticky sweets were smeared, King John said grimly: "As I feared, Nothing again for me!"
"I did want crackers, And I did want candy; I know a box of chocolates Would come in handy; I do love oranges, I did want nuts. I haven't got a pocket-knife-- Not one that cuts. And, oh! if Father Christmas had loved me at all, He would have brought a big, red india-rubber ball!"
King John stood by the window, And frowned to see below The happy bands of boys and girls All playing in the snow. A while he stood there watching, And envying them all... When through the window big and red There hurtled by his royal head, And bounced and fell upon the bed, An india-rubber ball!
AND OH, FATHER CHRISTMAS, MY BLESSINGS ON YOU FALL FOR BRINGING HIM A BIG, RED, INDIA-RUBBER BALL!
BUSY
I think I am a Muffin Man. I haven't got a bell, I haven't got the muffin things that muffin people sell. Perhaps I am a Postman. No, I think I am a Tram. I'm feeling rather funny and I don't know _what_ I am--
BUT
_Round_ about And _round_ about And _round_ about I go-- All round the table, The table in the nursery-- _Round_ about And _round_ about And _round_ about I go;
I think I am a Traveller escaping from a Bear; I think I am an Elephant, Behind another Elephant Behind _another_ Elephant who isn't really there....
SO
_Round_ about And _round_ about And _round_ about and _round_ about And _round_ about And _round_ about I go.
I think I am a Ticket Man who's selling tickets--please, I think I am a Doctor who is visiting a Sneeze; Perhaps I'm just a Nanny who is walking with a pram I'm feeling rather funny and I don't know _what_ I am--
BUT
_Round_ about And _round_ about And _round_ about I go-- All around the table, The table in the nursery-- _Round_ about And _round_ about And _round_ about I go;
I think I am a Puppy, so I'm hanging out my tongue; I think I am a Camel who Is looking for a Camel who Is looking for a Camel who is looking for its Young....
SO
_Round_ about And _round_ about And _round_ about and _round_ about And _round_ about And _round_ about I go.
SNEEZLES
Christopher Robin Had wheezles And sneezles, They bundled him Into His bed. They gave him what goes With a cold in the nose, And some more for a cold In the head. They wondered If wheezles Could turn Into measles, If sneezles Would turn Into mumps; They examined his chest For a rash, And the rest Of his body for swellings and lumps. They sent for some doctors In sneezles And wheezles To tell them what ought To be done.
All sorts and conditions Of famous physicians Came hurrying round At a run. They all made a note Of the state of his throat, They asked if he suffered from thirst; They asked if the sneezles Came _after_ the wheezles, Or if the first sneezle Came first. They said, "If you teazle A sneezle Or wheezle, A measle May easily grow. But humour or pleazle The wheezle Or sneezle, The measle Will certainly go." They expounded the reazles For sneezles And wheezles, The manner of measles When new. They said "If he freezles In draughts and in breezles, Then PHTHEEZLES May even ensue."
* * * * *
Christopher Robin Got up in the morning, The sneezles had vanished away. And the look in his eye Seemed to say to the sky, "_Now, how to amuse them to-day?_"
BINKER
Binker--what I call him--is a secret of my own, And Binker is the reason why I never feel alone. Playing in the nursery, sitting on the stair, Whatever I am busy at, Binker will be there.
Oh, Daddy is clever, he's a clever sort of man, And Mummy is the best since the world began, And Nanny is Nanny, and I call her Nan-- But they can't See Binker.
Binker's always talking, 'cos I'm teaching him to speak: He sometimes likes to do it in a funny sort of squeak, And he sometimes likes to do it in a hoodling sort of roar ... And I have to do it for him 'cos his throat is rather sore.
Oh, Daddy is clever, he's a clever sort of man, And Mummy knows all that anybody can, And Nanny is Nanny, and I call her Nan-- But they don't Know Binker.
Binker's brave as lions when we're running in the park; Binker's brave as tigers when we're lying in the dark; Binker's brave as elephants. He never, never cries ... Except (like other people) when the soap gets in his eyes.
Oh, Daddy is Daddy, he's a Daddy sort of man, And Mummy is as Mummy as anybody can, And Nanny is Nanny, and I call her Nan ... But they're not Like Binker.
Binker isn't greedy, but he does like things to eat, So I have to say to people when they're giving me a sweet, "Oh, Binker wants a chocolate, so could you give me two?" And then I eat it for him, 'cos his teeth are rather new.
Well, I'm very fond of Daddy, but he hasn't time to play, And I'm very fond of Mummy, but she sometimes goes away, And I'm often cross with Nanny when she wants to brush my hair ... But Binker's always Binker, and is certain to be there.
CHERRY STONES
_Tinker_, _Tailor_, _Soldier_, _Sailor_, _Rich Man_, _Poor Man_, _Ploughboy_, _Thief_--
And what about a Cowboy, Policeman, Jailer, Engine-driver, Or Pirate Chief? What about a Postman--or a Keeper at the Zoo? What about the Circus Man who lets the people through? And the man who takes the pennies for the roundabouts and swings, Or the man who plays the organ, and the other man who sings? What about a Conjuror with rabbits in his pockets? What about a Rocket Man who's always making rockets? Oh, there's such a lot of things to do and such a lot to be That there's always lots of cherries on my little cherry tree!
THE KNIGHT WHOSE ARMOUR DIDN'T SQUEAK
Of all the Knights in Appledore The wisest was Sir Thomas Tom. He multiplied as far as four, And knew what nine was taken from To make eleven. He could write A letter to another Knight.
No other Knight in all the land Could do the things which he could do. Not only did he understand The way to polish swords, but knew What remedy a Knight should seek Whose armour had begun to squeak.
And, if he didn't fight too much, It wasn't that he did not care For blips and buffetings and such, But felt that it was hardly fair To risk, by frequent injuries, A brain as delicate as his.
His castle (Castle Tom) was set Conveniently on a hill; And daily, when it wasn't wet, He paced the battlements until Some smaller Knight who couldn't swim Should reach the moat and challenge him.
Or sometimes, feeling full of fight, He hurried out to scour the plain; And, seeing some approaching Knight, He either hurried home again, Or hid; and, when the foe was past, Blew a triumphant trumpet-blast.
One day when good Sir Thomas Tom Was resting in a handy ditch, The noises he was hiding from, Though very much the noises which He'd always hidden from before, Seemed somehow less.... Or was it more?
The trotting horse, the trumpet's blast, The whistling sword, the armour's squeak, These, and especially the last, Had clattered by him all the week. Was this the same, or was it not? _Something was different._ But what?
Sir Thomas raised a cautious ear And listened as Sir Hugh went by, And suddenly he seemed to hear (Or not to hear) the reason why This stranger made a nicer sound Than other Knights who lived around.
Sir Thomas watched the way he went-- His rage was such he couldn't speak, For years they'd called him down in Kent The Knight Whose Armour Didn't Squeak! Yet here and now he looked upon _Another_ Knight whose squeak had gone.
He rushed to where his horse was tied; He spurred it to a rapid trot. The only fear he felt inside About his enemy was not "How sharp his sword?" "How stout his heart?" But "Has he got too long a start?"
Sir Hugh was singing, hand on hip, When something sudden came along, And caught him a terrific blip Right in the middle of his song. "A thunderstorm!" he thought. "Of course!" And toppled gently off his horse.
Then said the good Sir Thomas Tom, Dismounting with a friendly air, "Allow me to extract you from The heavy armour that you wear. At times like these the bravest Knight May find his armour much too tight."
A hundred yards or so beyond The scene of brave Sir Hugh's defeat Sir Thomas found a useful pond, And, careful not to wet his feet, He brought the armour to the brink, And flung it in ... and watched it sink.
So ever after, more and more, The men of Kent would proudly speak Of Thomas Tom of Appledore, "The Knight Whose Armour Didn't Squeak" Whilst Hugh, the Knight who gave him best, Squeaks just as badly as the rest.
BUTTERCUP DAYS
Where is Anne? Head above the buttercups, Walking by the stream, Down among the buttercups. Where is Anne? Walking with her man, Lost in a dream, Lost among the buttercups.
What has she got in that little brown head? Wonderful thoughts which can never be said. What has she got in that firm little fist of hers? Somebody's thumb, and it feels like Christopher's.
Where is Anne? Close to her man. Brown head, gold head, In and out the buttercups.
THE CHARCOAL-BURNER
The charcoal-burner has tales to tell. He lives in the Forest, Alone in the Forest; He sits in the Forest, Alone in the Forest. And the sun comes slanting between the trees, And rabbits come up, and they give him good-morning, And rabbits come up and say, "Beautiful morning".... And the moon swings clear of the tall black trees, And owls fly over and wish him good-night, Quietly over to wish him good-night....
And he sits and thinks of the things they know, He and the Forest, alone together-- The springs that come and the summers that go, Autumn dew on bracken and heather, The drip of the Forest beneath the snow.... All the things they have seen, All the things they have heard: An April sky swept clean and the song of a bird.... Oh, the charcoal-burner has tales to tell! And he lives in the Forest and knows us well.
US TWO
Wherever I am, there's always Pooh, There's always Pooh and Me. Whatever I do, he wants to do, "Where are you going to-day?" says Pooh: "Well, that's very odd 'cos I was too. Let's go together," says Pooh, says he. "Let's go together," says Pooh.
"What's twice eleven?" I said to Pooh. ("Twice what?" said Pooh to Me.) "I _think_ it ought to be twenty-two." "Just what I think myself," said Pooh. "It wasn't an easy sum to do, But that's what it is," said Pooh, said he. "That's what it is," said Pooh.
"Let's look for dragons," I said to Pooh. "Yes, let's," said Pooh to Me. We crossed the river and found a few-- "Yes, those are dragons all right," said Pooh. "As soon as I saw their beaks I knew. That's what they are," said Pooh, said he. "That's what they are," said Pooh.
"Let's frighten the dragons," I said to Pooh. "That's right," said Pooh to Me. "_I'm_ not afraid," I said to Pooh, And I held his paw and I shouted "Shoo! Silly old dragons!"--and off they flew. "I wasn't afraid," said Pooh, said he, "I'm _never_ afraid with you."
So wherever I am, there's always Pooh, There's always Pooh and Me. "What would I do?" I said to Pooh, "If it wasn't for you," and Pooh said: "True, It isn't much fun for One, but Two Can stick together," says Pooh, says he. "That's how it is," says Pooh.
THE OLD SAILOR
There was once an old sailor my grandfather knew Who had so many things which he wanted to do That, whenever he thought it was time to begin, He couldn't because of the state he was in.
He was shipwrecked, and lived on an island for weeks, And he wanted a hat, and he wanted some breeks; And he wanted some nets, or a line and some hooks For the turtles and things which you read of in books.
And, thinking of this, he remembered a thing Which he wanted (for water) and that was a spring; And he thought that to talk to he'd look for, and keep (If he found it) a goat, or some chickens and sheep.
Then, because of the weather, he wanted a hut With a door (to come in by) which opened and shut (With a jerk, which was useful if snakes were about), And a very strong lock to keep savages out.
He began on the fish-hooks, and when he'd begun He decided he couldn't because of the sun. So he knew what he ought to begin with, and that Was to find, or to make, a large sun-stopping hat.
He was making the hat with some leaves from a tree, When he thought, "I'm as hot as a body can be, And I've nothing to take for my terrible thirst; So I'll look for a spring, and I'll look for it _first_."
Then he thought as he started, "Oh, dear and oh, dear! I'll be lonely to-morrow with nobody here!" So he made in his note-book a couple of notes: "_I must first find some chickens_" and "_No, I mean goats._"
He had just seen a goat (which he knew by the shape) When he thought, "But I must have a boat for escape. But a boat means a sail, which means needles and thread; So I'd better sit down and make needles instead."
He began on a needle, but thought as he worked, That, if this was an island where savages lurked, Sitting safe in his hut he'd have nothing to fear, Whereas now they might suddenly breathe in his ear!
So he thought of his hut ... and he thought of his boat, And his hat and his breeks, and his chickens and goat, And the hooks (for his food) and the spring (for his thirst).... But he _never_ could think which he ought to do first.
And so in the end he did nothing at all, But basked on the shingle wrapped up in a shawl. And I think it was dreadful the way he behaved-- He did nothing but basking until he was saved!
THE ENGINEER
Let it rain! Who cares? I've a train Upstairs, With a brake Which I make From a string Sort of thing, Which works In jerks, 'Cos it drops In the spring, Which stops With the string, And the wheels All stick So quick That it feels Like a thing That you make With a brake, Not string....
So that's what I make, When the day's all wet. It's a good sort of brake But it hasn't worked yet.
JOURNEY'S END
_Christopher, Christopher, where are you going, Christopher Robin?_ "Just up to the top of the hill, Upping and upping until I am right on the top of the hill," Said Christopher Robin.
_Christopher, Christopher, why are you going, Christopher Robin?_ _There's nothing to see, so when You've got to the top, what then?_ "Just down to the bottom again," Said Christopher Robin.
FURRY BEAR
If I were a bear, And a big bear too, I shouldn't much care If it froze or snew; I shouldn't much mind If it snowed or friz-- I'd be all fur-lined With a coat like his!
For I'd have fur boots and a brown fur wrap, And brown fur knickers and a big fur cap. I'd have a fur muffle-ruff to cover my jaws, And brown fur mittens on my big brown paws. With a big brown furry-down up to my head, I'd sleep all the winter in a big fur bed.
FORGIVEN
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.