Can anybody please help my mother who can only remember this first line of a poem she used to like as a child - we don't know the author. Many thanks.

I haven't seen this little poem since school days in the early 40's. Memory ain't what it useta be, but maybe my half-remembered scraps can be "all arranged in order" by some pedlar-person.


I wish I lived in a caravan with a horse to drive like the pedlar-man.
Where he comes from nobody knows; or where he goes to, but on he goes.

Pans to mend and pots to sell, he clashes together like a bell.
Tea-trays all arranged in order. Plates with alphabets round the border.


He also has a baby brown and they go riding from town to town.

Robert Louis Stevenson - The Peddler man

Amazing that after not having heard this poem for 60 years, within 48 hours of posting to this thread I heard it broadcast by a local radio station. I have contacted them, and they have promised to give me a copy of the poem. I will post it here ASAP.

The Peddler-man was written by William Brighty Rands (1823-1880)

i finally found d poem! in my quest 2 search 4 it myself (i read it wen i was in grade 2)... thnxx 4 building up d drive in me 2 search 4 it!!! njoy.. hope ur mom is reminded of her childhood days!

THE PEDDLER'S CARAVAN

I wish I lived in a caravan,
With a horse to drive, like a peddler-man!
Where he comes from nobody knows,
Or where he goes to, but on he goes!

His caravan has windows two,
And a chimney of tin, that the smoke comes through;
He has a wife, with a baby brown,
And they go riding from town to town.

Chairs to mend, and delf to sell!
He clashes the basins like a bell;
Tea-trays, baskets ranged in order,
Plates, with alphabets round the border!

The roads are brown, and the sea is green,
But his house is like a bathing-machine;
The world is round, and he can ride,
Rumble and slash, to the other side!

With the peddler-man I should like to roam,
And write a book when I came home;
All the people would read my book,
Just like the Travels of Captain Cook!

William Brighty Rands [1823-1882]

Interesting - both title and death date of author seem to vary - in a book I have (Come Follow Me - originally printed in 1956) the title is given as The Pedlar's Caravan, and I have Rands dates as 1823-82 - though not from that book.

Sounds like your memory is pretty good to me, Soma! Poetry is good exercise for the brain.

There is now a site up completed by members of his family.

wbrands.com

There is also lots of information provided by his family on victorianweb.org

Gus.