The Willow Pattern Plate

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22356, 29 February 1936, Page 4 (Supplement)

The Willow Pattern Plate

CEVERAL adult readers of Boys and Girls have responded to the request made ° last week for the story of the Willow Pattern Plate in verse form. Strangely enough, each sent a different version, so all will be printed, and readeis can make their own choice as to which they like best. More next week!

rpHE pretty blue plate that I use at tea. 1A story it has tlizit it tolls to tub. As soon as I finish my slice of bread, A wonderful fairy tale's there instead. I'll tell you the tale > as s to me ' The tale of the beautiful maid Kong Shee; Whose ,heart and whose hand, Chang was fain to win, But Chang was the clerk of the ManAnd^the^landarin's clerk, not a match For the mandarin's daughter, the fair Kong Shee. The mandarin found her a wealthy But she shook her head, and his wrath was great; So he shut her up m the house you see, .On the left of the temple, this poor Kong Shee. But Chang was true, here's the boat he From the empty shell of a coconut; And the tiny sail, and the scroll. Where be wrote words of love to his fair Kong Shee. The katkins hang on the willow bowers, " OH come," she said, " ere the peach Haste f pluck the fruit, lest it stolen be! ' Oh come, love, rescue thy love Kong Shee." Then Chang, disguised, through the garden crept, _ . And freed his bride, while the mandarin Across tiie bridge, you behold them - The valiant Chang and his fair Kong Shee. While the mandarin followed, with brandished whip, But the# sailed away in the nut-shell ship. On an island set in a sky-blue sea, Was a home for Chang and his bride Kong Shee; But the wealthy wooer pursued the pair, And tracked them out and found them there. And he fired their house with an evil glee, Did the baffled suitor of fair Kong Shee; But the gentle souls of the loving pair, Flew out like doves to the open air, And soared aloft, as you may see, k on the willow plate that I use at tea. —By QUEENIEt SCOTT HOPPEK

TF vou take a willow pattern plate, And hold it in your hands. You will see it's covered rim to rim With scenes of foreign lands People, one, two, three. And you will see a bridge across some water And a big plum pudding tree Of course, it all means something, And I'm going to relate the strange and and doleful story Of the Willow Pattern Plate. There's a little boy and a little girl A-walking to and fro, There's their father with a pigtail, Running after them just so For an old Chinese Mandarin is he And he lives in yon Pagoda 'Neath the big plum pudding tree, He's saying, " Hurry off to school and mind you don't be late," And he's frowning most severely On the Willow Pattern Plate. When he turns his back and goes indoors They laugh and jump and say, " Now, I think instead of going to school We'll have some fun to-day. I should like to bo a-sailing on the sea Or swinging on the branches of the big plum pudding tree, Oh)! We'll go a-fishing in the brook." They opened wide the gate You can see them playing truant, On the Willow Pattern Plate. So they tied a bit of sugar to a piece of stick and string, And fished away for hours and hours But didn't catch a thing. Then amid their glee, Oh dearl Oh deario me! Thoir father with a spyglass 'Neath the big plum pudding tree. They tried to run and hide But their terror was so great That they tumbled in the water On the Willow Patern Plate. Then their father came and seized them, By their pigtails long and black And he rescued them from drowning, And he sternly marched them back As wet as they could be, they got no food or tea. And he spanked them with a vengance 'Neath the big plum pudding tree. And I hope you'll all take warning From their most unhappy fate, As we learn it from the pictures, On the Willow Pattern Plate.