The Big Baboon

The Big Baboon is found upon
The plains of Cariboo:
He goes about with nothing on
(A shocking thing to do).

But if he dressed up respectably
And let his whiskers grow,
How like this Big Baboon would be
To Mister So-and-so!

Hilaire Belloc

Hilaire Belloc was an Anglo-French writer and historian, known for his poetry, essays, and children's books. Born on July 27, 1870, in France, he became a British citizen and was a prominent figure in early 20th-century British literature. Belloc was a devout Catholic, which significantly influenced his writings. He was a close friend of G.K. Chesterton and shared similar views on social and political issues. Belloc passed away on July 16, 1953, leaving behind a rich legacy of literary works.

Hilaire Belloc

The Scorpion

Hilaire Belloc, Simple Poetry

The Elephant

Hilaire Belloc, Simple Poetry

October

Hilaire Belloc, Simple Poetry

Introduction: The Bad Child's Book Of Beasts

Hilaire Belloc, Simple Poetry

English

Suggested Poems

Explore a curated selection of verses that share themes, styles, and emotional resonance with the poem you've just read.

The Lion

The Lion, the Lion, he dwells in the Waste,
He has a big head and a very small waist;
But his shoulders are stark, and his jaws they are grim,
And a good little child will not play with him.

Hilaire Belloc

The Monkey And The Leopard.

^[1]

A monkey and a leopard were
The rivals at a country fair.
Each advertised his own attractions.
Said one, 'Good sirs, the highest place
My merit knows; for, of his grace,
The king hath seen me face to face;
And, judging by his looks and actions,
I gave the best of satisfactions.
When I am dead, 'tis plain enough,
My skin will make his royal muff.
So richly is it streak'd and spotted,
So delicately waved and dotted,
Its various beauty cannot fail to please.'
And, thus invited, everybody sees;
But soon they see, and soon depart.
The monkey's show-bill to the mart
His merits thus sets forth the while,
All in his own peculiar style: -
'Come, gentlemen, I pray you, come;
In magic arts I am at home.
The whole variety in w...

Jean de La Fontaine

The Elephant

When people call this beast to mind,
They marvel more and more
At such a little tail behind,
So large a trunk before.

Hilaire Belloc

The Headliner and the Breadliner

    Moko, the Educated Ape is here,
    The pet of vaudeville, so the posters say,
    And every night the gaping people pay
    To see him in his panoply appear;
    To see him pad his paunch with dainty cheer,
    Puff his perfecto, swill champagne, and sway
    Just like a gentleman, yet all in play,
    Then bow himself off stage with brutish leer.

    And as to-night, with noble knowledge crammed,
    I 'mid this human compost take my place,
    I, once a poet, now so dead and damned,
    The woeful tears half freezing on my face:
    "O God!" I cry, "let me but take his shape,
    Moko's, the Blest, the Educated Ape."

Robert William Service

The Fox, The Monkey, And The Animals.

^[1]

Left kingless by the lion's death,
The beasts once met, our story saith,
Some fit successor to install.
Forth from a dragon-guarded, moated place,
The crown was brought, and, taken from its case,
And being tried by turns on all,
The heads of most were found too small;
Some hornèd were, and some too big;
Not one would fit the regal gear.
For ever ripe for such a rig,
The monkey, looking very queer,
Approach'd with antics and grimaces,
And, after scores of monkey faces,
With what would seem a gracious stoop,
Pass'd through the crown as through a hoop.
The beasts, diverted with the thing,
Did homage to him as their king.
The fox alone the vote regretted,
But yet in public never fretted.
When he his compliments had paid

Jean de La Fontaine

The Monkey Who Had Seen The World.

        A monkey, to reform the times,
        Resolved to visit foreign climes;
        For therefore toilsomely we roam
        To bring politer manners home.
        Misfortunes serve to make us wise:
        Poor pug was caught, and made a prize;
        Sold was he, and by happy doom
        Bought to cheer up a lady's gloom.
        Proud as a lover of his chains
        His way he wins, his post maintains -
        He twirled her knots and cracked her fan,
        Like any other gentleman.
        When jests grew dull he showed his wit,
        And many a lounger hit with it.
        When he had fully stored his mind -
        As Orpheus once for human kind, -
        So he away would homewards steal,
        To civilize the monkey weal.

John Gay