Lilliput Lyrics — Themes and Context

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In Category - Fantasy Juvenile Worlds

Authors: Rands, W. B. (William Brighty ), 1823-1882, Johnson, R. Brimley (Reginald Brimley), 1867-1932 [Editor], Robinson, Charles, 1870-1937 [Illustrator] Digital Source: Project Gutenberg Gutenberg Release Year: 2016 First Publication Year: Not confirmed

Key Word: Children's poetry; Nonsense verses; Wit and humor, Juvenile Target Reader: Readers of public-domain and historical texts

Book Edition: Project Gutenberg digital edition Book Language: en

Edition facts

Words 27,929

Reading time 122 min

Text sections 8

For Lilliput Lyrics — Themes and Context, the stored edition analysis reports 27,929 words, 2 hr 2 min estimated reading time, and 8 detected text sections.

The text analysis averages about 20.1 words per sentence, while the detected sections provide another way to judge how the source is divided.

Project Gutenberg metadata also associates the work with “Children's poetry,” connecting these edition facts with the source record’s subject description.

Source: Project Gutenberg record #53030

This editorial note examines how the opening, middle, and later excerpts of W. B. Rands' 'Lilliput Lyrics' guide a first reading, focusing on the editor's preface, the 'Shockheaded Cicely' narrative poem, and the collection's varied lyrical forms.

Editorial Edition Score 4.7/5

★★★★★ ★★★★★

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Description quality20 pts
Title & short description10 pts
Source metadata20 pts
Text length15 pts
Chapters / structure15 pts
EPUB file integrity20 pts

Total of 100 points, scaled to a 2.5-5.0 range. Editions with an empty description or a missing EPUB file are not scored.

Edition quality

File: pg53030

Read the Text

, So as to put resistance down-- Order regions in Lilliput-town!

They made the baker bake hot rolls, They made the wharfinger send in coals, They made the butcher kill the calf, They cut the telegraph-wires in half.

They went to the chemists, and with their feet They kicked the physic all down the street; They went to the schoolroom and tore the books, They munched the puffs at the pastrycook’s.

They sucked the jam, they lost the spoons, They sent up several fire-balloons, They let off crackers, they burnt a guy, They piled a bonfire ever so high.

They offered a prize for the laziest boy, And one for the most Magnificent toy; They split or burnt the canes offhand, They made new laws in Lilliput-land.

_Never do to-day what you can Put off till to-morrow_, one of them ran; _Late to bed and late to rise_ Was another law which they did devise.

They passed a law to have always plenty Of beautiful things: we shall mention twenty: A magic lantern for all to see, Rabbits to keep, and a Christmas-tree,

A boat, a house that went on wheels, An organ to grind, and sherry at meals, Drums and wheelbarrows, Roman candles, Whips with whistles let into the handles,

A real live giant, a roc to fly, A goat to tease, a copper to sky, A garret of apples, a box of paints, A saw and a hammer, and no complaints.

Nail up the door, slide down the stairs, Saw off the legs of the parlour chairs-- That was the way in Lilliput-land, The children having the upper hand.

They made the Old Folks come to school, And in pinafores,--that was the rule,-- Saying, _Eener-deener-diner-duss, Kattler-wheeler-whiler-wuss_;

They made them learn all sorts of things That nobody liked. They had catechisings; They kept them in, they sent them down In class, in school, in Lilliput-town.

O but they gave them tit-for-tat! Thick bread-and-butter, and all that; Stick-jaw pudding that tires your chin, With the marmalade spread ever so thin!

They governed the clock in Lilliput-land, They altered the hour or the minute-hand, They made the day fast, they made the day slow, Just as they wished the time to go.

They never waited for king or for cat; They never wiped their shoes on the mat; Their joy was great; their joy was greater; They rode in the baby’s perambulator!

There was a Levee in Lilliput-town, At Pinafore Palace. Smith and Brown, Jones and Robinson had to attend-- All to whom they cards did send.

Every one rode in a cab to the door; Every one came in a pinafore; Lady and gentleman, rat-tat-tat, Loud knock, proud knock, opera hat!

The place was covered with silver and gold, The place was as full as it ever could hold; The ladies kissed her Majesty’s hand, Such was the custom in Lilliput-land.

His Majesty knighted eight or ten, Perhaps a score, of the gentlemen, Some of them short and some of them tall-- _Arise, Sir What’s-a-name What-do-you-call_!

Nuts and nutmeg (that’s in the negus); The bill of fare would perhaps fatigue us; Forty-five fiddlers to play the fiddle; Right foot, left foot, down the middle.

Conjuring tricks with the poker and tongs, Riddles and forfeits, singing of songs; One fat man, too fat by far, Tried “Twinkle, twinkle, little star.”

His voice was gruff, his pinafore tight, His wife said, “Mind, dear, sing it right,” But he forgot, and said Fa-la-la! The Queen of Lilliput’s own papa!

She frowned, and ordered him up to bed: He said he was sorry; she shook her head; His clean shirt-front with his tears was stained-- But discipline had to be maintained.

The Constitution! The Law! The Crown! Order reigns in Lilliput-town! The Queen is Jill, and the King is John; I trust the Government will get on.

I noticed, being a man of rhymes, An advertisement in the _Lilliput Times_:-- “PINAFORE PALACE. This is to state That the Court is in want of a Laureate.

“Nothing menial required. Poets, willing to be hired, May send in Specimens at once, Care of the Chamberlain DOUBLEDUNCE.”

Said I to myself Here’s a chance for me The Lilliput Laureate for to be! And these are the Specimens I sent in To Pinafore Palace. Shall I win?

PUBLIC NOTICE.--_This is to state_ _That these are the specimens left at the gate_ _Of Pinafore Palace, exact to date,_ _In the hands of the porter, Curlypate,_ _Who sits in his plush on a chair of state,_ _By the gentleman who is a candidate_ _For the office of_ LILLIPUT LAUREATE.

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The editor's preface to Lilliput Lyrics immediately signals a hands-on approach: R. Brimley Johnson states he has 'occasionally edited the text, without scruple, by omitting weak lines or even altering a word.' This frank admission frames the entire collection as a curated selection, not a faithful reprint. Johnson explains that the verses were chosen from Rands' earlier Lilliput Levee (1868) and magazine contributions, with the aim of remembering children's 'tastes and understandings.' The preface thus prepares readers for a deliberately shaped anthology, where editorial intervention is part of the reading experience.

The Editor’s Hand in the Reader’s Path

The opening pages establish a clear editorial presence. Johnson names his sources—Lilliput Levee, magazines, and a reprint of Lilliput Lectures—and acknowledges permissions from publishers and Rands’ son. This transparency invites readers to consider the collection as a constructed artifact rather than a spontaneous outpouring. The note that many poems 'never received the author’s final revision' further justifies Johnson’s alterations, making the editor a collaborator. For a first reader, this preface is a roadmap: expect polished, selected verses, not raw manuscripts. The inclusion of a contents list with 56 titles (from 'The Pedlar’s Caravan' to 'Mother’s Joy') offers a quick survey of the book’s range, from doll poems to narrative ballads.

A Narrative Arc in 'Shockheaded Cicely'

The excerpt from 'Shockheaded Cicely and the Two Bears' provides the most extended narrative in the sample. The poem unfolds in three parts, tracing Cicely’s journey from poverty to marriage with Sir Nicholas Hildebrand. Key details ground the story: the town crier’s 'Ding dong! O yes!' summons, the precise time 'three,' and the list of women—'Mary, Margaret, Bridget, Bess'—who dress elaborately. Cicely is distinguished by her 'tossy head' and 'shaggypate,' physical traits that become central to the plot. The bears, brought from the Holy Land, recognize her as 'Related to us' because of her wild hair. The poem’s structure—exclusion, intrusion, recognition, reward—mirrors a fairy-tale logic, but Rands undercuts it with comic details like the bears walking on hind legs and the final moral about keeping hair 'in a proper state.'

Recurring Motifs: Hair, Animals, and Social Order

Across the excerpts, hair emerges as a repeated symbol. In 'Shockheaded Cicely,' unkempt hair marks low status and later becomes a sign of kinship with bears. The poem ends with a commercial chant: 'Sing bear’s grease! curling-irons to sell! Sing combs and brushes!' This transforms a personal trait into a marketable commodity. Animals also recur: the postman’s knock is likened to 'the Raven in Odin’s ear,' and bears play a central role. Social hierarchies are gently mocked—the ladies faint while Cicely boldly feeds the bears. The editor’s note that Rands wrote 'under many signatures' hints at a playful authorial identity, mirroring the poems’ own games with voice and perspective.

Lyrical Variety and Structural Patterns

The contents list reveals a mix of forms: doll poems, songs, and narrative verses. Titles like 'The Ship that Sailed into the Sun' and 'The Discontented Yew-Tree' suggest whimsical premises, while 'The Penance of the Little Maid' hints at moral undertones. The excerpted 'Rat-tat! the postman knocks!' frames the collection as a 'Lilliput letter-box,' inviting readers to open each poem as a message. This framing device, combined with the editor’s preface, positions the book as a mediated exchange between author, editor, and child audience. The poems’ short lines and regular rhymes (e.g., 'knocks/box,' 'dear/ear') create a rhythmic predictability that suits oral reading, a likely intended use.

First-time readers of Lilliput Lyrics should attend to the interplay between editorial curation and poetic play. Johnson’s preface is not a mere formality but a key to understanding the text’s construction. The poems reward attention to recurring details—hair, animals, social rituals—that Rands uses to build miniature worlds. Reading aloud may reveal the sonic patterns that make these verses memorable. The collection invites comparison with other Victorian children’s poetry, but its specific charm lies in its blend of nonsense, narrative, and gentle satire.

There’s a particular hush in the editor’s preface to Lilliput Lyrics, a gentle hand guiding a child’s first steps between nonsense and wonder. I recall that same quiet steadiness in the margins of my worn Rose buds — Reading Companion, as if both volumes understood that blossoming requires patience, not haste. They keep each other’s company on my shelf.