Jack and the bean-stalk : English hexameters

JAG K

AND

THE BEAN-STALK

HALLAM TENNYSON

ILLUSTRATED BY

RANDOLPH CALDECCTT

ISM

NY PUBLIC LIBRARY THE BRANCH LIBRARIES

(ins. 2
ENNYSONt HALLAM*
ACK ANE THE HEAN-STALK
NGLISH HEXAMETERS

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NNBR 951264262

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The New York
Public Library

Astor, Lenox and Tilden Foundations

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JACK AND THE BEAN-STALK

JACK

AND

THE BEAN-STALK

ENGLISH HEXAMETERS

BY

HALLAM TENNYSON
ILLUSTRATED BY RANDOLPH CALDECOTT

ILoufcou

MACMILLAN AND CO.

AND NEW YORK
1886

•

NEW YO:.

6tr

iT.B

CITY

PREFACE

IN his last letter to me Caldecott wrote : ' I have
been making several attempts at the Giant, and
have been cogitating over the Illustrations to
"Jack" generally. During the winter I shall be
able to show you some of my ideas.'

The following unfinished Sketches are the
' ideas,' which, with Mrs. Caldecott's kind per-
mission, have been reproduced.

H. T.

TO MY FATHER,
IN RECOGNITION OF WHAT THIS BOOKLET OWES TO HIM,

AND TO MY NEPHEWS,
' GOLDEN -HAIR'D' ALLY, CHARLIE, AND MICHAEL,

WHO HAVE SO FAR CONDESCENDED
AS TO HONOUR IT WITH THEIR APPROBATION.

JACK AND THE BEAN-STALK

JACK was a poor widow's heir, but he lived as a drone

in a beehive,
Hardly a handstir a day did he work. To squander her

earnings
Seem'd to the poor widow hard, who raved and scolded

him always.
Nought in her house was left ; not a cheese, not a loaf,

not an onion ;
Nought but a cow in her yard, and that must go to the

market.
" Sell me the cow," cried she ; then he sold it, gad ! for a

handful —
Only to think !— —of beans. She shied them out thro'

the window,
Cursing him : hied to her bed, there slept, but awoke in

amazement,

JACK AND THE BEAN-STALK

Seeing a huge bean-stalk, many leaves, many pods, many

flowers,

Rise to the clouds more tall than a tall California pine-
tree ;
High as a lark was Jack, scarce seen, and climbing away

there.
" Where an' O where," "" he shrill'd ; she beheld his boots

disappearing ;
Pod by pod Jack arose, till he came to a pod that alarm'd

him.
Bridge-like this long pod stretch'd out, and touch'd on an

island
Veil'd in vapour. A shape from the island waved him a

signal,
Waved with a shining hand, and Jack with an humble

obeisance
Crawl'd to the shape, who remark'd, " I gave those beans

to ye, darling.

I am a fairy, a friend to ye, Jack ; see yonder a Giant
Lives, who slew your own good father, see what a fortress !
Enter it, have no fear, since I, your fairy, protect you."
Jack march'd up to the gate, in a moment pass'd to the

kitchen

* " Where an' O where is my Highland laddie gone?"

JACK AND THE BEAN-STALK

Led by the savoury smell. This Giant's wife with a ladle
Basted a young elephant (Jack's namesake shriek'd and

turn'd it).

Back Jack shrank in alarm : with fat cheeks peony-bulbous,
Ladle in hand, she stood, and spake in a tone of amuse-
ment :

" Oh ! what a cramp'd-up, small, unsesquipedalian object !"
Then from afar came steps, heavy tramps, as a pavior

hamm'ring ;

Out of her huge moon-cheeks the redundant peony faded,
Jack's lank hair she grabb'd, and, looking sad resolution,
Popt him aghast in among her saucepans' grimy recesses.
Then strode in, with a loud heavy-booted thunder of heel-
taps,

He with a tiger at heel — her Giant, swarthy, colossal :
" I smell flesh of a man ; yea, wife, tho' he prove but a

morsel,
Man tastes good." She replied, " Sure thou be'est failing

in eyesight ;

'Tis but a young elephant, my sweetest lord, not a biped."
Down he crook'd his monstrous knees, and rested his hip-
bones,

Call'd for his hen, said " Lay ;" so she, with a chuck cock-
a-doodle,

JACK AND THE BEAN-STALK

Dropt him an egg, pure gold, a refulgent, luminous
oval, —

That was her use : — when he push'd her aside, cried,
" Bring me the meat now,"

Gorged his enormous meal, fell prone, and lost recollection.

Jack from a saucepan watch'd his broad chest's monstrous
upheavals :

Then to the chamber above both dame and tiger ascended.

" Now for it, hist!" says Jack — "coast clear, and -none to
behold me,"

Airily Jack stole forth, and seized the plump, money-
laying,

Priceless, mystical hen ; ran forth, sped away to the bean-
stalk,

Heard from afar, then near, heavy tramps, as a pavior
hamm'ring,

Sprang down pod by pod, with a bounding, grasshopper
action,

Left the Colossus aghast at an edge of his own little
island,

Lighted on earth, whom she, that bare him, fondly
saluting,

Dropt a maternal tear, and dried that tear with her
apron,

12

JACK AND THE BEAN-STALK

Seeing him home and safe ; and after it, all was a hey-day,

Lots of loaves, and tons of cheeses, a barnful of onions ;

Cows and calves, and creams, and gold eggs, piled to the
ceilings :

Horses, goats, and geese, and pigs, and pugs by the
hundred.

Ah ! but he found in a while his life of laziness irk-
some.

" Climb me," the bean-stalk said with a whisper. Jack,
reascending,

Swarm'd to the wonderful isle once more, and high
habitation ;

Led by the fairy return'd to the fortress, pass'd to the
kitchen,

Unseen, hied him again to the saucepans' grimy recesses,

Peep'd out into the room. The plump wife, peony-
bulbous,

Toasted a constrictor, which roll'd in vast revolutions.

Then strode in, strong-booted again, with a roar, the
Colossus :

Call'd for his harp, said " Play." So this, with a sharp
treble ting-tong,

Play'd him an air, a delightful, long-drawn, national
anthem,

13

JACK AND THE BEAN-STALK

Play'd him an air, untouch'd, (the strings, by a fairy
magician

Wrought, were alive). Then he shouted aloud, " Wife,
bring me the meat now,"

Gorged his elongate meal ; the snake in warm revolutions,

Making his huge bulk swell, disappear'd like Man's
macaroni :

After, he yawn'd and snored, fell prone, and lost recol-
lection.

So Jack seized the melodious harp, and bolted. A
murmur

"Master, master, a rascal, a rascal !" rang thro' the harp-
strings.

Quickly the monster awoke, and wielding a cudgel, —
an oak tree, —

Chased little Jack with a shout of mighty, maniacal
anger ;

Jack to the beanpod sprang with a leap, and desperate
hurl'd his

Limbs in a downward, furious, headlong pre-cipitation,

But for a wink up-glanced ; his foeman's ponderous
hob-nails

Shone from aloft : down rush'd big pods, and bean
avalanches.

JACK AND THE BEAN-STALK

" Haste mother, haste mother, oh ! mother, haste, and

bring me the hatchet !"
Cried Jack, alighting on earth. She brought him an

axe double-handed.
Jack cleft clean thro' the haulm ; that Giant desperate

hurl'd his

Limbs in a downward, roaring, thund'ring pre-cipitation,
Crash'd to the ground stone-dead with a crash as a crag

from a mountain.
" I'm your master now," said Jack to the harp at his

elbow ;
" There's your old 'un ! of him pray give your candid

opinion !"
Sweetly the mystical harp responded, " Master, a rascal !"

JACK AND THE BEAN-STALK

Jack was a poor widow's heir, but he lived as a drone in

a beehive,
Hardly a handstir a day did he work. To squander her

earnings
Seem'd to the poor widow hard, who raved and scolded

him always.

"JACK."

19

Nought in her house was left ; not a cheese, not a loaf,

not an onion ;
Nought but a cow in her yard, and that must go to the

market.
" Sell me the cow," cried she ; then he sold it, gad ! for

a handful

Only to think ! of beans.

She shied them out thro' the window,
Cursing him : hied to her bed, there slept, but awoke in

amazement,

Seeing a huge bean-stalk, many leaves, many pods, main-
flowers,

Pod by pod Jack arose, till he came to a pod that alarm'd

him.
Bridge-like this long pod stretch'd out, and touch'd on

an island
Veil'd in vapour.

'I AM A FAIRY.

A shape from the island waved him a signal,
Waved with a shining hand, and Jack with an humble

obeisance
Crawl'd to the shape, who remark'd, " I gave those beans

to ye, darling.
I am a fairy, a friend to ye, Jack ;

See yonder a Giant
Lives, who slew your own good father, see what a

fortress !

Enter it, have no fear, since I, your fairy, protect you."
Jack march'd up to the gate,

I

Iii a moment pass'd to the kitchen

Led by the savoury smell. This Giant's wife with a
ladle

Basted a young elephant (Jack's namesake shriek'd and
turn'd it).

Back Jack shrank in alarm : with fat cheeks peony-
bulbous,

Ladle in hand, she stood, and spake in a tone of amuse-
ment :

"Oh! what a cramp'd-up, small, unsesquipedalian object!"

27

Then from afar came steps, heavy tramps, as a pavior

hamm'ring ;

Out of her huge moon-cheeks the redundant peony faded,
Jack's lank hair she grabb'd, and, looking sad resolution,
Popt him aghast in among her saucepans' grimy

recesses.
Then strode in, with a loud heavy-booted thunder of

heel-taps,
He with a tiger at heel — her Giant, swarthy, colossal :

1 HER GIANT.

29

' HE WITH A TIGER.

" I smell flesh of a man ; yea, wife, tho' he prove but a

morsel,
Man tastes good."

She replied, " Sure thou be'est failing in eyesight ;
Tis but a young elephant, my sweetest lord, not a biped."
Down he crook'd his monstrous knees, and rested his hip-
bones,

33

Call'd for his hen, said, " Lay ;" so she, with a chuck cock-

a-doodle,

Dropt him an egg, pure gold, a refulgent, luminous oval,—
That was her use : — when he push'd her aside, cried,

" Bring me the meat now,"
Gorged his enormous meal, fell prone, and lost recollection.

34

35

Jack from a saucepan watch'd his broad chest's monstrous
upheavals :

Then to the chamber above both dame and tiger ascended.

" Now for it, hist !" says Jack — " coast clear, and none to
behold me,"

Airily Jack stole forth, and seized the plump, money-
laying,

Priceless, mystical hen ;

•HIS BROAD CHESTS MONSTROUS UPHEAVALS.

Ran forth, sped away to the bean-stalk,

"•

Heard from afar, then near, heavy tramps, as a pavior
hamm'ring,

39

'THEN NEAR.

40

Sprang down pod by pod,

41

With a bounding, grasshopper action,
Left the Colossus aghast at an edge of his own little island,

Lighted on earth, whom she, that bare him, fondly saluting,
Dropt a maternal tear, and dried that tear with her

apron,
Seeing him home and safe ; and after it, all was a hey-day,

45

Lots of loaves, and tons of cheeses, a barnful of onions ;
Cows and calves, and creams, and gold eggs piled to the

ceilings :
Horses,

40

Goats,

47

>

/

:

And geese,

And pigs,

49

And pugs by the hundred.

50

" IDLE JACK."

Ah ! but he found in a while his life of laziness irksome.

" Climb me," the bean-stalk said with a whisper. Jack,
reascending,

Swarm'd to the wonderful isle once more, and high
habitation ;

Led by the fairy return'd to the fortress, pass'd to the
kitchen,

Unseen, hied him again to the saucepans' grimy recesses,

Peep'd out into the room. The plump wife, peony-
bulbous,

Toasted a constrictor, which roll'd in vast revolutions.

Then strode in, strong-booted again, with a roar, the

Colossus :
Call'd for his harp, said " Play."

52

53

So this, with a sharp treble ting-tong,
Play'd him an air, a delightful, long-drawn, national

anthem,
Play'd him an air, untouch'd, (the strings, by a fairy

magician
Wrought, were alive).

55

Then he shouted aloud, " Wife,

bring me the meat now,"

Gorged his elongate meal ; the snake in warm revolutions,
Making his huge bulk swell, disappear'd like Man's

macaroni :

After, he yawn'd and snored, fell prone, and lost
recollection.

57

So Jack seized the melodious harp,

5S

'•'.

1

And bolted. A murmur

" Master, master, a rascal, a rascal ! " rang thro' the harp-
strings.
Quickly the monster awoke, and wielding a cudgel, —

an oak tree, —
Chased little Jack

CO

With a shout of mighty, maniacal anger ;

Jack to the beanpod sprang with a leap, and desperate

hurl'd his

Limbs in a downward, furious, headlong pre-cipitation,
But for a wink up-glanced ; his foeman's ponderous

hob-nails
Shone from aloft :

64

Down rush'd big pods, and bean

avalanches.
" Haste mother, haste mother, oh ! mother, haste, and

bring me the hatchet ! "
Cried Jack, alighting on earth. She brought him an

axe double-handed.
Jack cleft clean thro' the haulm ; that Giant desperate

hurl'd his
Limbs in a downward, roaring, thund'ring pre-cipitation,

67

Crash'd to the ground stone-dead, with a crash as a crag

from a mountain.
" I'm your master now," said Jack to the harp at his

elbow ;
" There's your old 'un ! of him pray give your candid

opinion !"
Sweetly the mystical harp responded, " Master, a rascal !"

68

70

Printed ly R. & R. CLARK, Edinlurgh.