After all this egg yolk... I mean, talk... here's Humpty Dumpty, a very well-known English riddle:
Illustration from the wonderful Denslow's Mother Goose
HUMPTY-DUMPTY was a smooth, round little chap, with a winning smile, and a great golden heart in his broad breast.
Only one thing troubled Humpty, and that was, that he might fall and crack his thin, white skin; he wished to be hard, all the way through, for he felt his heart wabble when he walked, or ran about, so off he went to the Black Hen for advice.
This Hen was kind and wise, so she was just the one, for him to go to with his trouble.
“Your father, Old Humpty,” said the Hen, “was very foolish, and would take warning from no one; you know what the poet said of him:
‘Humpty-Dumpty sat on a wall,
Humpty-Dumpty had a great fall;
All the king’s horses, and all the king’s men
Cannot put Humpty-Dumpty together again.’
“So you see, he came to a very bad end, just because he was reckless, and would not take a hint from any one, he was much worse than a scrambled egg; the king, his horses and his men, did all they could for him, but his case was hopeless,” and the Hen shook her head sadly.
Denslow's Humpty Dumpty, by W. W. Denslow
Only one thing troubled Humpty, and that was, that he might fall and crack his thin, white skin; he wished to be hard, all the way through, for he felt his heart wabble when he walked, or ran about, so off he went to the Black Hen for advice.
This Hen was kind and wise, so she was just the one, for him to go to with his trouble.
“Your father, Old Humpty,” said the Hen, “was very foolish, and would take warning from no one; you know what the poet said of him:
‘Humpty-Dumpty sat on a wall,
Humpty-Dumpty had a great fall;
All the king’s horses, and all the king’s men
Cannot put Humpty-Dumpty together again.’
“So you see, he came to a very bad end, just because he was reckless, and would not take a hint from any one, he was much worse than a scrambled egg; the king, his horses and his men, did all they could for him, but his case was hopeless,” and the Hen shook her head sadly.
Denslow's Humpty Dumpty, by W. W. Denslow
Illustration by John Tenniel
'Why do you sit out here all alone?' said Alice, not wishing to begin an argument.
'Why, because there's nobody with me!' cried Humpty Dumpty. 'Did you think I didn't know the answer to THAT? Ask another.'
'Don't you think you'd be safer down on the ground?' Alice went on, not with any idea of making another riddle, but simply in her good-natured anxiety for the queer creature. 'That wall is so VERY narrow!'
'What tremendously easy riddles you ask!' Humpty Dumpty growled out. 'Of course I don't think so! Why, if ever I DID fall off — which there's no chance of — but IF I did —' Here he pursed his lips and looked so solemn and grand that Alice could hardly help laughing. 'IF I did fall,' he went on, 'THE KING HAS PROMISED ME — WITH HIS VERY OWN MOUTH — to — to —'
'To send all his horses and all his men,' Alice interrupted, rather unwisely.
Through the Looking-Glass, by Charles Dodgson, AKA Lewis Carroll
(there's the great The Annotated Alice, by Martin Gardner)
'Why, because there's nobody with me!' cried Humpty Dumpty. 'Did you think I didn't know the answer to THAT? Ask another.'
'Don't you think you'd be safer down on the ground?' Alice went on, not with any idea of making another riddle, but simply in her good-natured anxiety for the queer creature. 'That wall is so VERY narrow!'
'What tremendously easy riddles you ask!' Humpty Dumpty growled out. 'Of course I don't think so! Why, if ever I DID fall off — which there's no chance of — but IF I did —' Here he pursed his lips and looked so solemn and grand that Alice could hardly help laughing. 'IF I did fall,' he went on, 'THE KING HAS PROMISED ME — WITH HIS VERY OWN MOUTH — to — to —'
'To send all his horses and all his men,' Alice interrupted, rather unwisely.
Through the Looking-Glass, by Charles Dodgson, AKA Lewis Carroll
(there's the great The Annotated Alice, by Martin Gardner)
Of the travels of Humpty-Dumpty much could be said; he went East, West, North and South; he sailed the seas, he walked and rode on the land through all the Countries of the Earth, and all his life long he was happy and content.
Also from Denslow's Humpty Dumpty.
Also from Denslow's Humpty Dumpty.
Yes, Humpty Dumpty has travelled far, from films and animation to music (see the animation by Music Factory), from comedy to cartoons (here and here, for example, and here for more), etc, etc.
W. C. Fields as Humpty Dumpty - Alice in Wonderland (1933):
Ricky Gervais on Humpty Dumpty:
Humpty Dumpty, as if by Edgar Allan Poe, by Paperhand:
Humpty Dumpty by FlippyCat:
Travis - The Humpty Dumpty Love Song:
All of the king's horses
And all of the king's men
Couldn't pull my heart
Back together again
All of the physicians
And mathematicians too
Failed to stop my heart
From breaking in two
'Cause all I need is you
I just need you
Yeah, you got the glue
So I'm gonna give my heart to you
I had a premonition
A movie in my mind
Confirming my suspicions
Of what I would find
It followed me to L.A.
Down to Mexico
Came in through the back door
At the start of the show
Still all I need is you
I just need you
Yeah, you got the glue
So I'm gonna give my heart to you
It was a perfect day
In a perfect way
You know, something had to go
You left me high, you left me low
Now, as I lie in pieces
I wait for your return
The sun upon my forehead
It burns, baby, burns, baby, burns
An eye on all my horses
You've slept with all my men
I'm never gonna get it
Together again
Still all I need is you
I just need you
Yeah, you got the glue
So I'm gonna give my heart to you
Yeah, you got the glue
There's nothing I can do
Yeah, you got the glue
So I'm gonna give my heart to you
Travis, The Humpty Dumpty Love Song
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