Mythology & Folklore
One old Oxford ox opening oysters
From The Nursery Rhymes of England, collected by J. O. Halliwell (London: Warne; first ed. 1842; this printing 1886)
One old Oxford ox opening oysters;
Two tee-totums totally tired of trying to trot to Tadbury;
Three tall tigers tippling tenpenny tea;
Four fat friars fanning fainting flies;
Five frippy Frenchmen foolishly fishing for flies;
Six sportsmen shooting snipes;
Seven Severn salmons swallowing shrimps;
Eight Englishmen eagerly examining Europe;
Nine nimble noblemen nibbling nonpareils;
Ten tinkers tinkling upon ten tin tinderboxes with ten tenpenny
tacks;
Eleven elephants elegantly equipt;
Twelve typographical topographers typically translating types.
Codex Note
Halliwell's class: Games.
Cite this poem
MLA
Anonymous (English nursery rhymes). “One old Oxford ox opening oysters.” Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/anonymous-english-nursery-rhymes/321/.
Chicago
Anonymous (English nursery rhymes). “One old Oxford ox opening oysters.” Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/anonymous-english-nursery-rhymes/321/.
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