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OLD MOTHER HUBBARD
(Unknown)

Old Mother Hubbard went to the cupboard,
To give her poor dog a bone.

But when she got there, her cupboard was bare;

And so the poor dog had none.

She went to the baker's to buy him some bread;
When she got back, the dog was dead.

She went to the undertaker's to buy him a coffin;
When she got back, the dog was a-laughing.

She took him a clean dish to get him some tripe;
When she came back, he was smoking a pipe.

She went to the hatter's to buy him a hat;
When she came back, he was feeding the cat.

She went to the barber's to buy him a wig;
When she came back, he was dancing a jig.

She went to the fruiterer's to buy him some fruit;
When she came back, he was playing the flute.

She went to the tailor's to buy him a coat.
When she came back, he was riding a goat.

She went to the cobbler's to buy him some shoes;
When she came back, he was reading the news.

She went to the seamstress to buy him some linen;
When she came back, the dog was a-spinning.

She went to the hosier's to buy him some hose;
When she came back, he was dressed in his clothes.

The dame made a curtsy, the dog made a bow;
The dame said, "Your servant," the dog said, "Bow-wow."


DAFFODILS
(William Wordsworth)

I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils,
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.
Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the Milky Way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced, but they
Outdid the sparkling waves in glee;
A poet could not but be gay
In such a jocund company.
I gazed, and gazed, but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.


CURLY LOCKS
(James Whitcomb Riley)

CURLY Locks! Curly Locks! wilt thou be mine?
Thou shalt not wash the dishes, nor yet feed the swine,
But sit on a cushion and sew a fine seam,
And feast upon strawberries, sugar and cream.

Curly Locks! Curly Locks! wilt thou be mine?
The throb of my heart is in every line,
And the pulse of a passion as airy and glad
In its musical beat as the little Prince had!

O I'll dapple thy hands with these kisses of mine
As a little pet blush in full blossom for me.

Thou shalt not wash the dishes, nor yet feed the swine!
But sit on a cushion and sew a fine seam,
And thou shalt have fabric as fair as a dream,
The red of my veins, and the white of my love,
And feast upon strawberries, sugar and cream
From a service of silver, with jewels agleam,
At thy feet will I bide, at thy beck will I rise,
And twinkle my soul in the night of thy eyes!

Curly Locks! Curly Locks! wilt thou be mine?
Thou shalt not wash the dishes, nor yet feed the swine,
But sit on a cushion and sew a fine seam,
And feast upon strawberries, sugar and cream.


BARNYARD SONG
(Unknown)

Won't you come into the barnyard
Where the animals are staying?
Can't you hear the moo-cow mooing
And the hungry horses neighing,
And the baby kittens purring
As the go about their playing?
Oh, it isn't hard to understand
What the animals are saying!
Won't you come into the barnyard
Where the cock is up and crowing,
Where the horse is being harnessed
For the plowing and the sowing,
Where the duck has started walking
On his short and waddly legs
To the millpond; and the biddies
All are busy laying eggs,
Where the pigs are taking dust baths
And the pigeons start their cooing?
Oh, it's fun to go and see what
All the animals are doing!


PICTURE BOOKS IN WINTER
(Robert Louis Stevenson)

Summer fading, winter comes -
Frosty mornings, tingling thumbs,
Window robins, winter rooks,
And the picture story-books.

Water now is turned to stone
Nurse and I can walk upon;
Still we find the flowing brooks
In the picture story-books.

All the pretty things put by
Wait upon the children's eye,
Sheep and shepherds, trees and crooks,
In the picture story-books.

We may see how all things are,
Seas and cities, near and far,
And the flying fairies' looks,
In the picture story-books.

How am I to sing your praise,
Happy chimney-corner days,
Sitting safe in nursery nooks,
Reading picture story-books?


THE SWING
(Robert Louis Stevenson)

How do you like to go up in a swing,
Up in the air so blue?
Oh, I do think it the pleasantest thing
Ever a child can do!

Up in the air and over the wall,
Till I can see so wide,
Rivers and trees and cattle and all
Over the countryside -

Till I look down on the garden green,
Down on the roof so brown -
Up in the air I go flying again,
Up in the air and down!


Over in the Meadow
(Olive A. Wadsworth)

Over in the meadow,
In the sand in the sun,
Lived an old mother toadie,
And her little toadie one,
"Wink!" said the mother;
"I wink!" said the one,
So they winked and they blinked,
In the sand in the sun.

Over in the meadow,
Where the stream runs blue,
Lived an old mother fish,
And her little fishes two,
"Swim!" said the mother;
"We swim!" said the two,
So they swam and they leaped,
Where the stream runs blue.

Over in the meadow,
In a hole in a tree,
Lived an old mother bluebird,
And her little birdies three,
"Sing!" said the mother;
"We sing!" said the three,
So they sang and were glad,
In a hole in the tree.

Over in the meadow,
In the reeds on the shore,
Lived an old mother muskrat,
And her little ratties four,
"Dive!" said the mother;
"We dive!" said the four,
So they dived and they burrowed,
In the reeds on the shore.

Over in the meadow,
In a snug beehive,
Lived a mother honey bee,
And her little bees five,
"Buzz!" said the mother;
"We buzz!" said the five,
So they buzzed and they hummed,
In the snug beehive.

Over in the meadow,
In a nest built of sticks,
Lived a black mother crow,
And her little crows six,
"Caw!" said the mother;
"We caw!" said the six,
So they cawed and they called,
In their nest built of sticks.

Over in the meadow,
Where the grass is so even,
Lived a gay mother cricket,
And her little crickets seven,
"Chirp!" said the mother;
"We chirp!" said the seven,
So they chirped cheery notes,
In the grass soft and even.

Over in the meadow,
By the old mossy gate,
Lived a brown mother lizard,
And her little lizards eight,
"Bask!" said the mother;
"We bask!" said the eight,
So they basked in the sun,
On the old mossy gate.

Over in the meadow,
Where the quiet pools shine,
Lived a green mother frog,
And her little froggies nine,
"Croak!" said the mother;
"We croak!" said the nine,
So they croaked and they splashed,
Where the quiet pools shine.

Over in the meadow,
In a sly little den,
Lived a gray mother spider,
And her little spiders ten,
"Spin!" said the mother;
"We spin!" said the ten,
So they spun lacy webs,
In their sly little den.


CHILDREN'S POEMS 3


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