16
FRENCH NURSERY RHYMES.
OH! SWEET MOTHER
Oh! sweet Mother,
If you love me well,
Take a whip,[1]
Flog me well,
For I assure you
That small children
Are full of malice
Until they grow up.
MISS ARCHED-BACK
In our yard there grows a tree,
Which refuses to stand up straight.
In the house there grows a girl,
Who holds herself like a sickle.[2]
Gardener, have you any stakes?[3]
Take one, take two.
Drive the smaller one into the earth,
To take care of the obstinate tree.
As for Miss Arched-Back,
Place the larger one in her corset.
