If I Were Richer
If I were richer
I’d buy a pitcher
With scenery on it.
’Jolica ware—
Storks here and there,
And a funny affair
With ladies on it.
In half a minute
I’d mix up in it
A wonderful drink—
Peppermint, ice,
Lemons and spice—
Taste pretty nice,
What do you think?
Illustration by Blanche Fisher Wright
First published in The Peter Patter Book of Nursery Rhymes (1918).
There’s something irresistibly honest about this rhyme — a child’s dream of riches, not for castles or jewels, but for a fancy pitcher and a homemade drink. It’s imagination at its purest: ordinary things becoming treasures, and the kitchen turning into a royal hall for make-believe feasts.
