ÆäÀÌÁö À̹ÌÁö
PDF
ePub

There's Bell with her bonnet of satin sheen, And Maud with her mantle of silver-green, And Kate with her scarlet feather.

Under my window, under my window,
Leaning stealthily over,

Merry and clear, the voice I hear,

Of each glad-hearted rover.

Ah! sly little Kate, she steals my roses;
And Maud and Bell twine wreaths and posies,
As merry as bees in clover.

Under my window, under my window,
In the blue Midsummer weather,
Stealing slow, on a hushed tiptoe,
I catch them all together:
Bell with her bonnet of satin sheen,

And Maud with her mantle of silver-green,
And Kate with the scarlet feather.

Under my window, under my window,
And off through the orchard closes;
While Maud she flouts, and Bell she pouts,
They scamper and drop their posies;
But dear little Kate takes naught amiss,
And leaps in my arms with a loving kiss,
And I give her all my roses.

THOMAS WESTWOOD.

CHILDHOOD.

IN my poor mind it is most sweet to muse
Upon the days gone by; to act in thought
Past seasons o'er, and be again a child;
To sit in fancy on the turf-clad slope,

Down which the child would roll; to pluck gay flowers,

Make posies in the sun, which the child's hand
(Childhood offended soon, soon reconciled),
Would throw away, and straight take up again,
Then fling them to the winds, and o'er the lawn
Bound with so playful and so light a foot,
That the pressed daisy scarce declined her head.

CHARLES LAMB.

THE MOTHER'S SACRIFICE.

THE cold winds swept the mountain's height,
And pathless was the dreary wild,
And mid the cheerless hours of night

A mother wandered with her child:
As through the drifting snow she pressed,
The babe was sleeping on her breast.

And colder still the winds did blow,

And darker hours of night came on,

And deeper grew the drifting snow :

Her limbs were chilled, her strength was gone.

"O God!" she cried in accents wild,
“If I must perish, save my child !”

She stripped her mantle from her breast,
And bared her bosom to the storm,
And round the child she wrapped the vest,

And smiled to think her babe was warm.
With one cold kiss, one tear she shed,
And sunk upon her snowy bed.

At dawn a traveller passed by,

And saw her 'neath a snowy veil ; The frost of death was in her eye,

Her cheek was cold and hard and pale. He moved the robe from off the child, The babe looked up and sweetly smiled!

[merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small]
[merged small][merged small][ocr errors]
[merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small]

The lambs play always, they know no better; And, in the churchyard cottage, I

They are only one times one.

O Moon! in the night I have seen you sailing And shining so round and low.

Dwell near them with my mother."

"You say that two at Conway dwell, And two are gone to sea,

You were bright—ah, bright—but your light Yet ye are seven ! I pray you tell,

is failing;

You are nothing now but a bow.

You Moon! have you done something wrong in heaven,

That God has hidden your face?

I hope, if you have, you will soon be forgiven, And shine again in your place.

O velvet Bee! you 're a dusty fellow, —

You've powdered your legs with gold.
O brave marsh Mary-buds, rich and yellow,
Give me your money to hold!

O Columbine! open your folded wrapper,
Where two twin turtle-doves dwell!
O Cuckoo-pint! toll me the purple clapper
That hangs in your clear green bell!

And show me your nest, with the young ones in it,

I will not steal them away;

I am old! you may trust me, linnet, linnet!

I am seven times one to-day.

WE ARE SEVEN.

JEAN INGELOW.

A SIMPLE child,

That lightly draws its breath, And feels its life in every limb,

What should it know of death?

Sweet maid, how this may be."

Then did the little maid reply,

"Seven boys and girls are we; Two of us in the churchyard lie Beneath the churchyard tree."

"You run about, my little maid ;
Your limbs they are alive;
If two are in the churchyard laid,
Then ye are only five."

"Their graves are green, they may be seen," The little maid replied:

"Twelve steps or more from my mother's door, And they are side by side.

"My stockings there I often knit,

My kerchief there I hem;
And there upon the ground I sit,

And sing a song to them.

"And often after sunset, sir,
When it is light and fair,
I take my little porringer,
And eat my supper there.

"The first that died was Sister Jane; In bed she moaning lay,

Till God released her of her pain ;

And then she went away.

[merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small]
[ocr errors]

TO A CHILD DURING SICKNESS.
SLEEP breathes at last from out thee,
My little patient boy;

And balmy rest about thee
Smooths off the day's annoy.

I sit me down, and think
Of all thy winning ways;

Yet almost wish, with sudden shrink,
That I had less to praise.

Thy sidelong pillowed meekness;
Thy thanks to all that aid;
Thy heart, in pain and weakness,
Of fancied faults afraid;

The little trembling hand
That wipes thy quiet tears,
These, these are things that may demand
Dread memories for years.

Sorrows I've had, severe ones,
I will not think of now;
And calmly, midst my dear ones,
Have wasted with dry brow;

But when thy fingers press
And pat my stooping head,
I cannot bear the gentleness,
The tears are in their bed.

Ah, first-born of thy mother,
When life and hope were new;
Kind playmate of thy brother,
Thy sister, father too;

My light, where'er I go;
My bird, when prison-bound;
My hand-in-hand companion — No,
My prayers shall hold thee round.

LITTLE BELL.

[blocks in formation]

Little Bell sat down amid the fern: "Squirrel, Squirrel, to your task return; Bring me nuts," quoth she.

Up, away! the frisky Squirrel hies, — Golden wood-lights glancing in his eyes, And adown the tree

Great ripe nuts, kissed brown by July sun, In the little lap drop one by one.

Hark, how Blackbird pipes to see the fun!

"Happy Bell!" pipes he.

Little Bell looked up and down the glade: "Squirrel, Squirrel, from the nut-tree shade, Bonny Blackbird, if you 're not afraid,

Come and share with me!"

Down came Squirrel, eager for his fare,
Down came bonny Blackbird, I declare;
Little Bell gave each his honest share,
Ah! the merry three!

And the while those frolic playmates twain Piped and frisked from bough to bough again,

'Neath the morning skies,

In the little childish heart below

All the sweetness seemed to grow and grow, And shine out in happy overflow

From her brown, bright eyes.

By her snow-white cot, at close of day,

Knelt sweet Bell, with folded palms, to pray;
Very calm and clear

Rose the praying voice to where, unseen,
In blue heaven, an angel-shape serene
Paused awhile to hear.

"What good child is this," the angel said, "That with happy heart beside her bed Prays so lovingly?"

Low and soft, O, very low and soft,
Crooned the Blackbird in the orchard croft,

"Bell, dear, Bell!" crooned he.

"Whom God's creatures love," the angel fair Murmured, "God doth bless with angels' care; Child, thy bed shall be

Folded safe from harm. Love, deep and kind, Shall watch around and leave good gifts behind, Little Bell, for thee!"

[blocks in formation]

I once had a little brother,

With eyes that were dark and deep; In the lap of that old dim forest He lieth in peace asleep :

Light as the down of the thistle,

Free as the winds that blow, We roved there the beautiful summers, The summers of long ago; But his feet on the hills grew weary,

And, one of the autumn eves,

I made for my little brother
A bed of the yellow leaves.
Sweetly his pale arms folded

My neck in a meek embrace,
As the light of immortal beauty

Silently covered his face; And when the arrows of sunset

Lodged in the tree-tops bright, He fell, in his saint-like beauty, Asleep by the gates of light. Therefore, of all the pictures

That hang on Memory's wall, The one of the dim old forest Seemeth the best of all.

ALICE CARY.

[blocks in formation]
[merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small]
« ÀÌÀü°è¼Ó »