Jim
There was a Boy whose name was Jim;
His Friends were very good to him.
They gave him Tea, and Cakes, and Jam,
And slices of delicious Ham,
And Chocolate with pink inside
And little Tricycles to ride,
And read him Stories through and through,
And even took him to the Zoo--
But there it was the dreadful Fate
Befell him, which I now relate.
You know--or at least you ought to know,
For I have often told you so--
That Children never are allowed
To leave their Nurses in a Crowd;
Now this was Jim's especial Foible,
He ran away when he was able,
And on this inauspicious day
He slipped his hand and ran away!
He hadn't gone a yard when--Bang!
With open Jaws, a lion sprang,
And hungrily began to eat
The Boy: beginning at his feet.
Now, just imagine how it feels
When first your toes and then your heels,
And then by gradual degrees,
Your shins and ankles, calves and knees,
Are slowly eaten, bit by bit.
No wonder Jim detested it!
No wonder that he shouted "Hi!"
The Honest Keeper heard his cry,
Though very fat he almost ran
To help the little gentleman.
"Ponto!" he ordered as he came
(For Ponto was the Lion's name),
"Ponto!" he cried, with angry Frown,
"Let go, Sir! Down, Sir! Put it down!"
The Lion made a sudden stop,
He let the Dainty Morsel drop,
And slunk reluctant to his Cage,
Snarling with Disappointed Rage.
But when he bent him over Jim,
The Honest Keeper's Eyes were dim.
The Lion having reached his Head,
The Miserable Boy was dead!
When Nurse informed his Parents, they
Were more Concerned than I can say:--
His Mother, as She dried her eyes,
Said, "Well--it gives me no surprise,
He would not do as he was told!"
His Father, who was self-controlled,
Bade all the children round attend
To James's miserable end,
And always keep a-hold of Nurse
For fear of finding something worse.
Commentary
Belloc’s children’s poems fall into two main categories - his animal poems, collected in ‘The Bad Child’s Book of Beasts’ and ‘More Beasts for Worse Children’, and a series of cautionary tales collected, appropriately enough, in ‘Cautionary Tales’.
Today’s poem is a fine example of the latter - like Roald Dahl after him, Belloc appealed to the more gruesome side of children’s imaginations, while at the same time poking fun at the ‘cautionary tales’ in vogue during the Victorian era. When Belloc’s heroes and heroines come to a Bad End, they come to a very bad end indeed, the details of which are expounded with glee and relish, in a manner that has doubtless delighted generations of children.
Asides:
Speaking of Dahl, he seems to have been influenced more than a little by Belloc. In particular, the cautionary tales in ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’ and its sequel, ‘Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator’ seem to pay a definite tribute to Belloc’s. Compare the sound and language of today’s poem with this little excerpt from the sad saga of Goldie Pinklewseet:
You see, how could young Goldie know,
For nobody had told her so,
That Grandmama, her old relation
Suffered from frightful constipation.
This meant that every night she'd give
Herself a powerful laxative,
And all the medicines that she'd bought
Were naturally of this sort.
– Roald Dahl
Also, here’s Shel Silverstein on lions and children:
It's Dark in Here
I am writing these poems
From inside a lion,
And it's rather dark in here.
So please excuse the handwriting
Which may not be too clear.
But this afternoon by the lion's cage
I'm afraid I got too near.
And I'm writing these lines
From inside a lion,
And it's rather dark in here.
– Shel Silverstein
Links
There’s a biography at poem #124
A review of a recording of some of Gilbert’s poems and a few of Belloc’s Cautionary Verses:
http://www.cris.com/~oakapple/gasdisc/mdbabs.htm
Some of Bentley’s illustrations for Belloc’s verses:
http://www.adh.brighton.ac.uk/schoolofdesign/MA.COURSE/08/LCV.html
— Martin
Show 10 commentsHide comments
From the Wondering Minstrels mailing list, 1999–2008.
vivian · 12 June 2001
For another boy-inside-a-lion story poem, see Maurice Sendak’s “Pierre: A Cautionary Tale in Five Chapters and a Prologue.” This one has a happy end for the naughty, grumpy little boy.
Donogh · 5 May 2003
Of course this is an absolute classic. I remember memorizing it as a boy and I still can recite it almost word-for-word
DO’B
lyndie JONES · 1 August 2003
i am so glad i have finally found out who wrote this, my nan who recently passed recited this to me as a child and up until she died she still called say it word for word.
Dumville Wendy · 11 September 2003
Thank you thank you thank you. I am so glad I found this, I remember reciting it at grammar school production. It really is a wonderful poem
Wendy Dumville
Team Leader
Gen 05
09555
ROBIN PERSHING · 14 April 2004
I always loved Hillaire Belloc poems as a child. My favorite is “George, who played with a dangerous toy, and suffered a catastrophe of considerable dimensions”. To this day, (I am 51) I can quote the whole thing, and it’s still incredibly funny to me. Thanks for a wonderful site.
Fred/Elsie Horner · 23 March 2005
I remember learning this poem as my older brother learned it in school. I remembered most of the line but a few were missing. I recited it for my grandchildren last evening and they enjoyed it very much. I always wondered about the bit that I could not remember and you can imagine my joy when I found it on the web. Thank You very much. I learned this Sixty Years Ago when I was Five.
Huckfinnsj · 19 November 2005
I read and memorized this poem in my fifth grade in Massachusetts’ public school system. I couldn’t remember the lines regarding the Dainty Morsel, but found them on this site, Thank you very much. I will now be able to read it to my grandchildren, who may just learn something from this tale of woe. david
Lea Dakota · 18 December 2005
I memorized this poem in elementary school hoping to shock my teacher. What I remember was it was because of this poem I had to look up my first word in a dictionary (inaupicious). I loved this poem and at 65 I can still recite it except for the last stanza, so thank you for having it available to me so I can present it with a poetry book I’m giving the little girl next door.
Dennis Jarvis · 3 June 2006
It was at the end of year school concert in 1954 as a ten year old that I recited Hilaire Belocs Jim to a packed hall of pupils and families. My teacher a very strict German priest had me perform very dramatic actions, particularly the commanding of the fat keeper to put poor Jim down. Never in the past 52 years have I given a performance like it and was very surprised at the volume of applause and apparent enjoyment of the audience. It is a memory that has never left me and I am writing to express my delight in having seen the poem again for the first time since those days. I will be trying to relearn it.
Regards.
Dennis J.
Melbourne Australia.
WIGGOsteels · 23 July 2006
Dear Friends, I learn’t and loved this poem some sixty years ago; alas I now learn that the memory is not what I thought it was !!, but it is still a wonderful piece of writing, thankyou.
I will attempt to memorise it again, it was my stand up at piece in front of all; at Manor-way Junior in 1947!. Thanks again. David Wiggins.