The cruelest month: Fish, fiddle-de-dee!

I came to know Edward Lear in childhood. I can’t remember the first time my mother read from The Little Book of Nonsense, or when I began to read it myself. But I was always quite fascinated by the idea that a Pobble might exist, much less have an Aunt Jobiska.

Plus—isn’t “runcible” a great word? I must have read (or heard) “The Owl & the Pussycat” before the Pobble, because eating mince and slices of quince with a runcible spoon certainly stuck in my brain.

Although a runcible cat with crimson whiskers is certainly memorable, too. Or it would be if I’d ever seen one.

The Pobble Who Has No Toes

The Pobble who has no toes

Had once as many as we;

When they said "Some day you may lose them all;"

He replied "Fish, fiddle-de-dee!"

And his Aunt Jobiska made him drink

Lavender water tinged with pink,

For she said "The World in general knows

There's nothing so good for a Pobble's toes!"

The Pobble who has no toes

Swam across the Bristol Channel;

But before he set out he wrapped his nose

In a piece of scarlet flannel.

For his Aunt Jobiska said "No harm

Can come to his toes if his nose is warm;

And it's perfectly known that a Pobble's toes

Are safe, -- provided he minds his nose!"

The Pobble swam fast and well,

And when boats or ships came near him,

He tinkledy-blinkledy-winkled a bell,

So that all the world could hear him.

And all the Sailors and Admirals cried,

When they saw him nearing the further side -

"He has gone to fish for his Aunt Jobiska's

Runcible Cat with crimson whiskers!"

But before he touched the shore,

The shore of the Bristol Channel,

A sea-green porpoise carried away

His wrapper of scarlet flannel.

And when he came to observe his feet,

Formerly garnished with toes so neat,

His face at once became forlorn,

On perceiving that all his toes were gone!

And nobody ever knew,

From that dark day to the present,

Whoso had taken the Pobble's toes,

In a manner so far from pleasant.

Whether the shrimps, or crawfish grey,

Or crafty Mermaids stole them away -

Nobody knew: and nobody knows

How the Pobble was robbed of his twice five toes!

The Pobble who has no toes

Was placed in a friendly Bark,

And they rowed him back, and carried him up

To his Aunt Jobiska's Park.

And she made him a feast at his earnest wish

Of eggs and buttercups fried with fish, -

And she said "It's a fact the whole world knows,

That Pobbles are happier without their toes!"

You know, reading through it, it’s kind of a gruesome tale to be passing off to the young ‘uns. Kind of like a lot of Grimm’s Fairy Tales. But then kids can ingest a lot of that stuff without major disruption to the psyche. I think. At least I could. 

I clearly recall the version of Rapunzel that involved her and the prince being separated by the enraged witch and then in the next scene, Rapunzel is wandering the forest with twin children (hers) and comes across the prince who (if memory serves) has been blinded. And a version of Cinderella where, as she goes up the aisle to be married, two doves peck out one eye each of the wicked stepsisters, and on the way from the altar they peck out the other two eyes. That just seemed, you know, as it should be.

So having some unnamed indescribable creature nibble off the Pobble’s toes may not be a big deal after all. Especially if all the world does indeed know that Pobbles are happier without them.