David Rands has kindly shared with readers of the Victorian Web his site about the life and works of W. B. Rands, the prolific writer of children's literature and originator of The Boy's Own Paper. Readers may wish to consult this site for more information about this little-known figure who had an immense influence upon Victorian children. [GPL]
There was a giant walked out one day,
To eat whatever came in his way;
This giant was greedy, this giant was grim,
And the people were all afraid of him.
He crossed the field and came into the street,
And a dainty damsel he there did meet;
"What is your name?" says he to her,
And she says, "Lucy Locket, sir".
"A very nice name is Lucy Locket,
And you will just fit my waistcoat-pocket;"
So said the giant, and popped her in,
And the pocket was more than up to her chin.
The giant says, "Oh, this is the street;
Your father and mother I mean to eat."
But Lucy, she thought, "You wicked man!"
And then to tickle him she began.
Her hand was light, her hand was small
He scarcely felt it at first at all;
She tickled and tickled, and by degrees
He felt as if he should like to sneeze!
This giant could growl, and shout, and roar,
But he never had laughed in his life before,
And now he began to look less grim
As Lucy kept on tickling him.
The people heard and the people saw, —
"He, hee!" says the giant, "ha, hah!, haw, haw!"
Oh, they were puzzled, but Lucy Locket
Made signs to them out of his doublet-pocket.
His mad guffaws for a mile they hear,
His mouth is stretched from ear to ear;
Thinks he, "To laugh is a pleasant plan,
So now I will laugh as long as I can."
He laughed till he ached and his eyes grew dim,
As Lucy kept on tickling him;
He laughed till the tears ran down his face,
And he fell down, flop, in the market-place!
Then out of his pocket Lucy leapt,
And close behind him the people crept;
With twisted cables and iron bands
And things of that sort they tied his hands.
They tied his hands and they tied his feet,
They said, "Pray, what would you like to eat?"
And Lucy got into his pocket again,
And made him laugh like a thousand men!
He laughed all day, he laughed all night,
He laughed when they woke in the morning light,
He laughed that week and the fortnight after, —
Travellers came to hear his laughter!
They let him laugh on to his heart's content
In a show as high as the monument;
They gave to Lucy a penny clear
For every person who came to hear.
So now the girl is as rich as a prince,
For he has been laughing ever since.
Last modified 21 August 2005