SARAH BYNG Who Could Not Read and was Tossed into a Thorny Hedge by a Bull By HILAIRE BELLOC
Reading edition
Some years ago you heard me sing
My doubts on Alexander Byng.
His sister Sarah now inspires
My jaded Muse, my failing fires.
Of Sarah Byng the tale is told
How though the child was twelve years old
She could not read or write a line.
A simple, black-and-white line drawing of a young girl standing with her eyes closed, wearing a dress and necklace, while holding a book labeled "CATECHISM".
Her sister Jane, though barely nine,
215Could spout the Catechism through
And parts of Matthew Arnold too,
While little Bill, who came between
Was quite unnaturally keen
On Athalie, by Jean Racine.
A black-and-white line drawing of a man with disheveled hair and round spectacles, sitting on a rounded object and hunched over while intently reading a small book.
216
A simple, black-and-white line drawing depicting a girl with her hair tied back, sitting on a couch with an annoyed or pained expression, with an open book lying on the floor nearby.
But not so Sarah! Not so Sal!
She was a most uncultured girl
Who didn’t care a pinch of snuff
For any literary stuff
And gave the classics all a miss.
Observe the consequence of this!
217As she was walking home one day,
Upon the fields across her way
A gate, securely padlocked, stood,
And by its side a piece of wood
On which was painted plain and full
A partially colored line drawing of a young girl with a dark braid, wearing a blue bonnet and a pink dress, walking along a path while holding a small bundle of wheat.
218
A partially colored line drawing of a young girl in a pink sun hat standing on a wooden fence, looking toward a sign that reads "BEWARE THE VERY FURIOUS BULL."
219
A partially colored line drawing showing a young girl in a sun hat walking while holding wheat, unaware that a bull is running towards her from behind in the field.
Alas! The young illiterate
Went blindly forward to her fate,
And ignorantly climbed the gate!
· · · · ·
A black-and-white line drawing depicting a startling encounter where a young girl in a sun hat has just turned to see a large bull standing directly in front of her, the bull appearing to have its tongue out.
Now happily the Bull that day
Was rather in a mood for play
220Than goring people through and through
As Bulls so very often do;
A man in a top hat and suit standing calmly beside a large bull.A stylized black-and-white line drawing of a bull
221
A dramatic, black-and-white line drawing showing a young girl being tossed into the air by a large bull in a field.
He tossed her lightly with his horns
222Into a prickly hedge of thorns,
And stood by laughing while she strode
And pushed and struggled to the road.
· · · · ·
The lesson was not lost upon
The child, who, since, has always gone
A long way round to keep away
From signs, whatever they may say,
And leaves a padlocked gate alone.
Moreover she has wisely grown
Confirmed in her instinctive guess
That letters always bring distress.
A black-and-white line drawing depicting a bull looking toward a large, leafy bush where a girl is hiding and looking out with a worried expression.
223
A partially colored drawing of a girl in a yellow dress leaping past a sign that reads "LEMONADE - ICES - STRAWB’ SOLD HERE."
224
A colorful, geometric illustration of a castle featuring a tall blue tower, a red central section, and a dark base.
THE END
225
An endpapper with repeating, intricate blue-and-white pattern featuring stylized birds and foliate designs.
TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES
Fixed typos; non-standard spelling and dialect retained.
Explore with AITake your curiosity a little further.
