[PW] 'Ough' poem?

[Bye, Dan J]

Is it this?

"THE FRENCHMAN'S LESSON. 

Frenchman. Ha! my friend! I have met one very strange name in my lesson. Vat you call H-o-u-g-h,--eh? 
Tutor. "Huff." 
Fr. Tres bien, "huff;" and snuff you spell s-n-o-u-p-h? 
Tut. Oh! no, no! "Snuff" is spelled s-n-u-f-f. In fact, words in o-u-g-h are a little irregular. 
Fr. Ah, very good!--'t is beautiful language! H-o-u-g-h is "huff." I will remember; and of course, c-o-u-g-h is "cuff."  I have a bad "cuff,"--eh? 
Tut. No, that is wrong; we say "kauff,"--not "cuff" 
Fr. "Kauff," eh? "Huff," and "kauff;" and, pardonnez-moi, how you call d-o-u-g-h--"duff,"--eh? is it "duff?" 
Tut. No, not "duff." 
Fr. Not "duff!" Ah oui; I understand, it is "dauff,"  --eh? 
Tut. No; d-o-u-g-h spells "doe." 
Fr. "Doe!" It 's ver' fine! Wonderful language! It is "doe;" and t-o-u-g-h is "toe," certainement. My beefsteak is very "toe." 
Tut. Oh! no, no! You should say "tuff." 
Fr. "Tuff!" And the thing the farmer uses, how you call him, p-l-o-u-g-h,--"pluff," is it? Ha! you smile. I see that I am wrong; it must be "plaff." No? then it is "ploe," like "doe?" It is one beautiful language! ver' fine! "ploe!" 
Tut. You are still wrong, my friend; it is "plow." 
Fr. "Plow!" Wonderful language! I shall understand ver' soon. "Plow" "doe" "kauff;" and one more r-o-u-g-h --what you call General Taylor,--"Rauff and Ready?" No? then "Row and Ready?" 
Tut. No; r-o-u-g-h spells "ruff." 
Fr. "Ruff," ha? Let me not forget. R-o-u-g-h is "ruff," and b-o-u-g-h is "buff,"--ha? 
Tut. No; "bow." 
Fr. Ah! 't is ver' simple! Wonderful language! But I have had vat you call e-n-o-u-g-h,--ha? Vat you call him?--Ha! ha! ha! "

That's one version I found.

Seems to crop up a lot in nineteenth century English/reading books.

See for example: http://www.google.co.uk/books?id=blcCAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA498&dq=%22the+frenchman%27s+lesson%22

Dan


> -----Original Message-----
> From: project-wombat-bounces at lists.project-wombat.org 
> [mailto:project-wombat-bounces at lists.project-wombat.org] On 
> Behalf Of JT Thompson
> Sent: 23 October 2007 12:04
> To: list at project-wombat.org
> Subject: Re: [PW] 'Ough' poem?
> 
> It's not The Chaos and it's not the Ogden Nash poem, though 
> they're both great. I saw it in the introduction to a book; 
> can't even remember what the book was, but I would have seen 
> it about, ohh, hmmm, 1966 probably. Though probably a library 
> book rather than a new one.
> 
> Incidentally, I know that poem about the snake, too - 
> remember it from school, though I can't place it exactly. Was 
> it by a *female* poet?
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