THE
ICE
CARNIVAL
by Charles Gittman
Oh! How shall I describe the scene
In eighteen ninety five,
When our pretty River Waveney
With frolic seemed alive.
The ice a dozen inches thick,
Covered the little river,
Although the cold was so intense,
And made us
shake and quiver.
What English folk, if young or old,
When dress’d so nice and warm,
Would grumble at the piercing cold
Or mind the wind and storm?
So dozens came and hundreds too,
In charming costume clad,
Who up and down the river went,
Like raving ho
rses mad.
There was Pollie and Dollie,
And Richie and Hal,
With Gertie and Minnie
And Susan and Sal,
Charlie and Harry,
With Kitty and Jessie,
Willie and Johnny,
With Georgie and Bessie.
The King of Hearts in scarlet robe,
With Queen of Fairies flew
Along the river; then there came
The queen of diamonds too.
The gypsy Queen commanding looked;
A Colonel, too, was there;
Red Riding Hood and Powder Puff,
With a brown and shaggy bear.
With Queen of Hearts
, a huntsman bold,
Came after Little Bo Peep,
But
Little Boy Blue had gone with her,
To find the missing sheep.
A poppy was there, and close beside
Were two little girls in blue,
A shoeblack, too, and a Sailor bold,
And a fair Canadian too.
