A Childs Garden of Verses

A Child's Garden of Verses
by
Robert Louis Stevenson
To Alison Cunningham?From Her Boy
For the long nights you lay awake?And watched for my unworthy sake:?For your most comfortable hand?That led me through the uneven land:?For all the story-books you read:?For all the pains you comforted:
For all you pitied, all you bore,?In sad and happy days of yore:--?My second Mother, my first Wife,?The angel of my infant life--?From the sick child, now well and old,?Take, nurse, the little book you hold!
And grant it, Heaven, that all who read?May find as dear a nurse at need,?And every child who lists my rhyme,?In the bright, fireside, nursery clime,?May hear it in as kind a voice?As made my childish days rejoice!
R. L. S.
Contents
To Alison Cunningham
I Bed in Summer?II A Thought?III At the Sea-Side?IV Young Night-Thought?V Whole Duty of Children?VI Rain?VII Pirate Story?VIII Foreign Lands?IX Windy Nights?X Travel?XI Singing?XII Looking Forward?XIII A Good Play?XIV Where Go the Boats??XV Auntie's Skirts?XVI The Land of Counterpane?XVII The Land of Nod?XVIII My Shadow?XIX System?XX A Good Boy?XXI Escape at Bedtime?XXII Marching Song?XXIII The Cow?XXIV The Happy Thought?XXV The Wind?XXVI Keepsake Mill?XXVII Good and Bad Children?XXVIII Foreign Children
XXIX The Sun Travels?XXX The Lamplighter?XXXI My Bed is a Boat?XXXII The Moon?XXXIII The Swing?XXXIV Time to Rise?XXXV Looking-Glass River?XXXVI Fairy Bread?XXXVII From a Railway Carriage?XXXVIII Winter-Time?XXXIX The Hayloft
XL Farewell to the Farm?XLI North-West Passage
1. Good-Night
2. Shadow March
3. In Port
The Child Alone
I The Unseen Playmate?II My Ship and I?III My Kingdom?IV Picture-Books in Winter?V My Treasures?VI Block City?VII The Land of Story-Books?VIII Armies in the Fire?IX The Little Land
Garden Days
I Night and Day?II Nest Eggs?III The Flowers?IV Summer Sun?V The Dumb Soldier?VI Autumn Fires?VII The Gardener?VIII Historical Associations
Envoys
I To Willie and Henrietta?II To My Mother?III To Auntie?IV To Minnie?V To My Name-Child?VI To Any Reader
A Child's Garden of Verses
I
Bed in Summer

In winter I get up at night?And dress by yellow candle-light.?In summer quite the other way,?I have to go to bed by day.
I have to go to bed and see?The birds still hopping on the tree,?Or hear the grown-up people's feet?Still going past me in the street.
And does it not seem hard to you,?When all the sky is clear and blue,?And I should like so much to play,?To have to go to bed by day?
II
A Thought

It is very nice to think?The world is full of meat and drink,?With little children saying grace?In every Christian kind of place.
III
At the Sea-Side

When I was down beside the sea?A wooden spade they gave to me
To dig the sandy shore.
My holes were empty like a cup.?In every hole the sea came up,
Till it could come no more.
IV
Young Night-Thought

All night long and every night,?When my mama puts out the light,?I see the people marching by,?As plain as day before my eye.
Armies and emperor and kings,?All carrying different kinds of things,?And marching in so grand a way,?You never saw the like by day.
So fine a show was never