# The Pelican Chorus explained — Nonsense Books

> Chapter companion for Nonsense Books by Edward Lear.

## What happens

The King and Queen of the Pelicans celebrate their happy life on the Nile, describing their daily routines and the grand feast they held for their daughter Dell. At the feast, the King of the Cranes falls in love with Dell, wins her heart with a crocodile's egg and a fish-tart, and marries her. Dell leaves with the Cranes for distant lands, and the Pelican parents are left alone, mourning her absence under the moonlight.

## Themes in this chapter

### Love and Marriage

The King of the Cranes falls in love with Dell and marries her, leading to her departure from her family.

### Loneliness and Longing

After Dell leaves, the Pelican parents are left alone, mourning her absence and expressing longing under the moonlight.

### Nonsense and Absurdity

The poem features playful nonsense refrains ('Ploffskin, Pluffskin, Pelican jee!') and absurd details like a wreath of shrimps and a crocodile's egg as a love token.

## Character check-ins

### The Pelican Chorus

The King and Queen of the Pelicans narrate their story, expressing pride in their species and sorrow at their daughter's departure.

### The Dell

The Pelicans' daughter, who marries the King of the Cranes and leaves the Nile for the Gromboolian Plain.

### The Cranes

The King of the Cranes, who falls in love with Dell and marries her, taking her away from the Nile.

## Key lines

> Ploffskin, Pluffskin, Pelican jee! We think no Birds so happy as we! Plumpskin, Ploshkin, Pelican jill! We think so then, and we thought so still!

The Pelicans sing a joyful nonsense chorus, declaring their happiness and pride in being Pelicans.

_This refrain is repeated throughout the poem, emphasizing the Pelicans' contentment and their unique identity._

> She has gone to the great Gromboolian Plain, And we probably never shall meet again!

Dell has traveled to a distant, mythical land, and her parents fear they will never see her again.

_The Gromboolian Plain is a recurring imaginary location in Lear's works, symbolizing far-off, unreachable places._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/nonsense_books_se/chapters/the-pelican-chorus
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/nonsense_books_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/nonsense_books_se/chapters