Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, THE STORY OF LITTLE SUCK-A-THUMB, by HEINRICH HOFFMANN


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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

THE STORY OF LITTLE SUCK-A-THUMB, by                     Poet's Biography
First Line: One day, mamma said: 'conrad dear'
Last Line: "to naughty little suck-a-thumb."
Alternate Author Name(s): Hoffmann-donner, Heinrich


ONE day, mamma said: "Conrad dear,
I must go out and leave you here.
But mind now, Conrad, what I say,
Don't suck your thumb while I'm away.
The great tall tailor always comes
To little boys that suck their thumbs;
And ere they dream what he's about,
He takes his great sharp scissors out
And cuts their thumbs clean off,—and then,
You know, they never grow again."

Mamma had scarcely turned her back,
The thumb was in, alack! alack!
The door flew open, in he ran,
The great, long, red-legged scissor-man.
Oh, children, see! the tailor's come
And caught our little Suck-a Thumb.
Snip! snap! snip! the scissors go;
And Conrad cries out— "Oh! oh! oh!"
Snip! snap! snip! They go so fast,
That both his thumbs are off at last.

Mamma comes home; there Conrad stands,
And looks quite sad, and shows his hands;—
"Ah!" said mamma, "I knew he'd come
To naughty little Suck-a-Thumb."





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