Nonsense poems captivate readers with their playful language, whimsical themes, and imaginative scenarios. They often defy conventional logic, weaving humor and absurdity into delightfully perplexing narratives. Bursting with creativity, these poems, popularized by authors like Lewis Carroll and Edward Lear, enchant both children and adults, offering timeless literary fun.
A nonsense poem filled with wordplay, ‘Jabberwocky’ by Lewis Carroll tells the story of the hero’s quest to slay the Jabberwock.
This poem is considered to be one of the most successful examples of nonsense verse in the English language. The poem begins with the speaker using strange and unknown words to describe a scene. There are “toves,” “borogroves” and “raths”. These things move within the landscape in different ways and make different noises. They are part of a world that is wholly separate from our own.
‘The Owl and the Pussy-Cat’ by Edward Lear is a simple, joy-filled poem that tells the marriage story of an owl and a cat.
The poem starts with a boat journey the two main characters embarked on. While travelling they profess their love to one another and decide to get married. They need to find a ring and their search takes them to a pig. That pig sells them its nose ring for one shilling and the two get married. After that, there is much celebrating and the poem ends with the owl and pussy-cat dancing under the moon.
‘On The Ning Nang Nong’ by Spike Milligan was published in Silly Verse For Kids in 1959 and was later voted as the UK’s favourite comic poem in the late 1990s. The poem was also set to music and featured weekly on the children’s program Play School.
The speaker uses nonsense language to describe a make-believe world made up primarily of noises. The poem begins with the speaker giving the reader a few very strange lines about a place called “The Ning Nang Nong.” There is a great emphasis placed on onomatopoeic language. Within almost every line there is an exclamation of sorts that is meant to surprise and please the reader. As the poem progresses the speaker tells the reader about the noises made by trees, teapots and mice.
On the Ning Nang Nong Where the Cows go Bong! and the monkeys all say BOO! There's a Nong Nang Ning
Peake humorously explores self-perception in ‘The Trouble With Geraniums’, blending playful critiques with deeper insights on self-criticism.
This poem speaks about the beautiful flower, deeming it “too red” and then relating that “trouble” to other troubles in the speaker’s life. These include the “diamond” being too ‘bright” and the “toast” too full “of bread”. These humorous and morally poignant observations speak on a world that demands more and is then unhappy with what it receives. The last stanza is the most impactful as the speaker has to confront themselves in the mirror.
‘Skin Stealer’ by Silverstein explores identity through a whimsical tale of a creature donning the speaker’s skin, appealing to both children and adults.
This nonsense poem tells the story of a creature called a “coo-coo” that climbs into the unzipped skin of the speaker. It was naked until it put on the “head / That once belonged to me”. It wore the speaker’s feet and ran through the “street / in a most disgraceful way”. The speaker sees himself doing things that he would normally never do and asks that those involved do not take offence as it was “the coo-coo /Who’s wearing [his] skin”.
‘Hey, diddle diddle’ is a nursery rhyme where a cat, cow, dog, dish, and spoon spark joy with their nonsensical, playful antics.
One of the most outrageous, and baffling early nursery rhymes, ‘Hey, Diddle, Diddle’ has unclear beginnings. It is believed to date back to the 1700s, if not earlier to medieval times. Commonly, the poem is connected to Thomas Preston’s play A lamentable tragedy mixed ful of pleasant mirth, conteyning the life of Cambises King of Percia.
‘Sneezles’ by A.A. Milne is a funny poem that uses outrageous images. The young speaker, Christopher Robin, depicts his dreadful made-up illness.
This poem tells of the complicated, nonsense illness contracted by the famous character from children’s literature, Christopher Robin. The poem begins with the speaker describing Christopher’s illness and how his parents put him to bed. He was suffering from what sounds like a cold but his parents get very upset, imagining that it was something worse. They consult with a number of doctors who make the situation out to be even more complicated and nonsensical than it already is.
‘The Crocodile’ by Lewis Carroll tells, very briefly, of a crocodile who sneakily attracts fish and then swallows them with a big smile on his face.
The poem tells, very briefly, of a crocodile who sneakily draws in fish and then swallows them with a big smile on his face. The poem itself is a parody of ‘Against Idleness and Mischief’ by Isaac Watts. It was this poem that Alice originally had in mind when she spoke about the crocodile. His poem begins with a similar phrase, but references a “busy bee” and is about keeping one’s hands busy in order to avoid sin.
‘The People Upstairs’ by Nash humorously captures the speaker’s exaggerated interpretations of the noisy antics of his upstairs neighbors.
This is a humorous depiction of how one’s actions can have an impact on someone else. The upstairs neighbours in this poem have parties that sound as though there’s a bowling alley in their living room. Or that there are tours going on in the bedroom. It’s constantly noisy, their bathroom leaks through the speaker’s ceiling. The poem concludes with the funny line, alluding to the trouble the speaker is having loving those who disrupt their lives so constantly.
‘The Walrus and the Carpenter’ is a narrative poem by Lewis Carroll. It was included in his 1871 novel ‘Through the Looking-Glass.’
One of Lewis Carroll’s best-known nonsense poems. This poem tells the story of a walrus and a carpenter. They, while walking on the beach, come upon a bed of oysters. They eventually turn back and eat the oysters.
‘Ten Little Soldiers’ was included in Agatha Christie’s classic mystery novel, ‘And Then There Were None.’ It iserves as an epigraph, appearing at the beginning of the book, and is connected with all ten deaths that occur on the island. It is unclear who wrote the first version of this nursery rhyme.
The poem follows the form of a nonsense poem, using a simple and repetitive structure that’s common in traditional children’s rhymes. Despite its dark content, the poem presents each scenario in a straightforward, almost playful manner. This form creates a rhythmic and predictable pattern, making the poem both engaging and unsettling, blending light structure with darker themes.
Ten little Soldier Boys went out to dine; One choked his little self and then there were nine.
Nine little Soldier Boys sat up very late; One overslept himself and then there were eight.
Eight little Soldier Boys travelling in Devon; One said he'd stay there and then there were seven.
Seven little Soldier Boys chopping up sticks; One chopped himself in halves and then there were six.
‘Fee-fi-fo-fum’ is a well-known chant from the story of “Jack the Giant Killer.” Dating back to at least the early 1700s, the compelling and entertaining story tells of a young boy’s daring feats and his bravery.
This poem uses nonsense form, where playful, made-up words like "Fee-fi-fo-fum" create a fun, rhythmic effect without any clear meaning. These unusual sounds bring an imaginative quality that makes the giant’s chant both memorable and entertaining. The nonsense form also makes the poem feel lighthearted, even though it carries a darker message, capturing readers’ attention through its catchy and almost musical rhythm.
Fee, fi, fo, fum, I smell the blood of an Englishman. Be he alive or be he dead I'll grind his bones to make my bread.
‘There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly’ is a funny children’s rhyme. It describes an old lady who swallows everything from a fly to a cat to a horse.
The poem is a perfect example of the nonsense form, as it tells the story of an old lady swallowing increasingly absurd animals to catch the previous one. This ridiculous premise captures children’s imaginations, allowing them to enjoy the silliness of the situation. The nonsensical nature of her actions keeps readers laughing while emphasizing the absurdity of trying to solve one problem by creating another.
‘A Was an Apple Pie’ is a simple and fun-to-read poem. In it, the speaker lists the alphabet, using personification to depict each letter of the alphabet.
‘A Was an Apple Pie’ fits the Nonsense Poem form, where the poem features playful, absurd actions associated with each letter of the alphabet. In this case, letters like "B bit it" or "M mourned for it" aren't necessarily logical but add fun and whimsy. The randomness of the actions adds a playful tone typical of nonsense poetry, aimed at entertaining while teaching.
‘Corner Of the Street’ by A.A. Milne is a short poem about the excitement of a child as they go to a meeting point at the corner of a street.
In many ways, this poem adheres to the form of a nonsense poem. By looking at the imagination of the child, with the repeated use of the word "tweet," the narrator's imagination comes into play, giving the poem a more fantastical tone to it. The simple rhymes seem almost nonsensical, but the narrator still manages to tell a story as they describe the way that they experience the world around them.
Down by the corner of the street
Where the three roads meet,
And the feet
Of the people as they pass go ‘Tweet-tweet-tweet—’
Our Poem Guides, PDFs, Study Tools, and Articles are created by a team of qualified poetry experts to provide an unparalleled in-depth look into poetry.
