Classic Book Reader
Cover of Fifty "Bab" Ballads: Much Sound and Little Sense

Fifty "Bab" Ballads: Much Sound and Little Sense

by W. S. Gilbert (1836–1911)

  • Free to read
  • 2 hours to read
  • 3 chapters
  • Reading level: 7th grade

"Fifty 'Bab' Ballads: Much Sound and Little Sense" by W. S. Gilbert is a collection of light verse published in 1876. Drawing from his childhood nickname, Gilbert crafted humorous poems that establish ridiculous premises and follow them to absurd conclusions. These satirical verses, accompanied by his own comic illustrations, showcase the "topsy-turvy" style he would later perfect in his famous operatic collaborations with Arthur Sullivan. The ballads became beloved entertainment, read aloud everywhere from private dinner parties to the House of Lords.

Read free now No app, no sign-up. Your place is saved automatically. Or download for your e-reader ↓
  • English wit and humor
  • Humorous poetry, English

Read the opening

Part I

AT a pleasant evening party I had taken down to supper
One whom I will call ELVIRA, and we talked of love and TUPPER,

MR. TUPPER and the Poets, very lightly with them dealing,
For I’ve always been distinguished for a strong poetic feeling.

Then we let off paper crackers, each of which contained a motto,
And she listened while I read them, till her mother told her not to.

Then she whispered, “To the ball-room we had better, dear, be walking;
If we stop down here much longer, really people will be talking.”

There were noblemen in coronets, and military cousins,
There were captains by the hundred, there were baronets by dozens.

Keep reading Fifty "Bab" Ballads: Much Sound and Little Sense →

Contents

  1. Preface
  2. Part I
  3. Part II

Download for your e-reader

Files are provided by Project Gutenberg. On a Kindle, the simplest route is to send the EPUB with Amazon’s Send to Kindle. Downloaded copies don’t sync with your place on Classic Book Reader.

About this edition

This free edition of Fifty "Bab" Ballads: Much Sound and Little Sense by W. S. Gilbert comes from Project Gutenberg eBook #757, released 1996-12-01. It is in the public domain in the United States, so you can read it here in full at no cost, on any phone, tablet or computer. Genre: Poetry, Humour, British Literature.

Summary provided by Project Gutenberg (automatically generated).

More by W. S. Gilbert