Thou wouldst chirp, thou foolish bird, Birds, companions more unknown, Passage from their souls to man. What they want we cannot guess, Was it, as the Grecian sings, Airy, ante-mundane throng— From THE RIME OF THE ANCIENT MARINER BY SAMUEL TAYLOR COleridge O happy living things! no tongue Their beauty might declare: A spring of love gush'd from my heart, And I bless'd them unaware. He prayeth well who loveth well Both man and bird and beast. He prayeth best who loveth best TO SAFEGUARD THE HEART BY SARAH N. CLEGHORN I steadfastly will, I firmly command my heart, That when next I feel the leaden cooling of friendliness and pity within me, Into my memory shall run The thought of the child I love best, Undressed and ready for bed, Or hiding behind the door, And cautiously peeping out; Or stubbing his toe and falling, And crying a little and climbing up on my lap, LITTLE BOY BLUE BY EUGENE Field The little toy dog is covered with dust, Time was when the little toy dog was new,.. And that was the time when our Little Boy Blue "Now, don't you go till I come," he said, And, as he was dreaming, an angel song Oh! the years are many, the years are long, Ay, faithful to Little Boy Blue they stand, Each in the same old place, Awaiting the touch of a little hand, The smile of a little face; And they wonder, as waiting the long years through In the dust of that little chair, What has become of our Little Boy Blue, THE TOYS BY COVENTRY PATMORE My little Son, who look'd from thoughtful eyes Having my law the seventh time disobey'd, I struck him, and dismiss'd With hard words and unkiss'd, -His Mother, who was patient, being dead. Then, fearing lest his grief should hinder sleep, But found him slumbering deep, With darken'd eyelids, and their lashes yet And I, with moan, Kissing away his tears, left others of my own; A box of counters and a red-vein'd stone, A bottle with bluebells, And two French copper coins, ranged there with care ful art, To comfort his sad heart. So when that night I pray'd To God, I wept, and said: Ah, when at last we lie with trancèd breath, Not vexing Thee in death, And Thou rememberest of what toys We made our joys, How weakly understood Thy great commanded good, Then, fatherly not less |