A Childs Garden of Verses | Page 2

seen?At the great circus on the green;?For every kind of beast and man?Is marching in that caravan.
As first they move a little slow,?But still the faster on they go,?And still beside me close I keep?Until we reach the town of Sleep.
V
Whole Duty of Children

A child should always say what's true?And speak when he is spoken to,?And behave mannerly at table;?At least as far as he is able.
VI
Rain

The rain is falling all around,
It falls on field and tree,?It rains on the umbrellas here,
And on the ships at sea.
VII
Pirate Story

Three of us afloat in the meadow by the swing,
Three of us abroad in the basket on the lea.?Winds are in the air, they are blowing in the spring,
And waves are on the meadow like the waves there are at sea.
Where shall we adventure, to-day that we're afloat,
Wary of the weather and steering by a star??Shall it be to Africa, a-steering of the boat,
To Providence, or Babylon or off to Malabar?
Hi! but here's a squadron a-rowing on the sea--
Cattle on the meadow a-charging with a roar!?Quick, and we'll escape them, they're as mad as they can be,
The wicket is the harbour and the garden is the shore.
VIII
Foreign Lands

Up into the cherry tree?Who should climb but little me??I held the trunk with both my hands?And looked abroad in foreign lands.
I saw the next door garden lie,?Adorned with flowers, before my eye,?And many pleasant places more?That I had never seen before.
I saw the dimpling river pass?And be the sky's blue looking-glass;?The dusty roads go up and down?With people tramping in to town.
If I could find a higher tree?Farther and farther I should see,?To where the grown-up river slips?Into the sea among the ships,
To where the roads on either hand?Lead onward into fairy land,?Where all the children dine at five,?And all the playthings come alive.
IX
Windy Nights

Whenever the moon and stars are set,
Whenever the wind is high,?All night long in the dark and wet,
A man goes riding by.?Late in the night when the fires are out,?Why does he gallop and gallop about?
Whenever the trees are crying aloud,
And ships are tossed at sea,?By, on the highway, low and loud,
By at the gallop goes he.?By at the gallop he goes, and then?By he comes back at the gallop again.