“How Pleasant to Know Mr. Lear!” + 

The following lines by Mr. Lear were written for a young lady of his acquaintance, who had quoted to him the words of a young lady not of his acquaintance, “How pleasant to know Mr. Lear!” + 

“How pleasant to know Mr. Lear!” + 

Who has written such volumes of stuff! + 

Some think him ill-tempered and queer, + 

But a few think him pleasant enough. + 

His mind is concrete and fastidious, + 

His nose is remarkably big; + 

His visage is more or less hideous, + 

His beard it resembles a wig. + 

He has ears, and two eyes, and ten fingers, + 

Leastways if you reckon two thumbs; + 

Long ago he was one of the singers, + 

But now he is one of the dumbs. + 

He sits in a beautiful parlor, + 

With hundreds of books on the wall; + 

He drinks a great deal of Marsala, + 

But never gets tipsy at all. + 

He has many friends, lay men and clerical, + 

Old Foss is the name of his cat; + 

His body is perfectly spherical, + 

He weareth a runcible hat. + 

When he walks in waterproof white, + 

The children run after him so! + 

Calling out, “He’s come out in his night⁠— + 

Gown, that crazy old Englishman, oh!” + 

He weeps by the side of the ocean, + 

He weeps on the top of the hill; + 

He purchases pancakes and lotion, + 

And chocolate shrimps from the mill. + 

He reads, but he cannot speak, Spanish, + 

He cannot abide ginger beer: + 

Ere the days of his pilgrimage vanish, + 

How pleasant to know Mr. Lear! + 