My father brought Somebody up To show us all asleep.
They came as softly up the Stairs As you could creep.
They whispered in the Doorway there, And looked at us awhile.
I had my Eyes shut up, but I Could feel him smile.
I shut my Eyes up close, and lay As still as I could keep.
Because I knew He wanted us To be asleep.
From "The Book of the Little Past," by Josephine Preston Peabody; used by permission of the publishers, Houghton Mifflin Co.
A BLESSING FOR THE BLESSED
BY LAURENCE ALMA-TADEMA
When the sun has left the hilltop, And the daisy-fringe is furled, When the birds from wood and meadow In their hidden nests are curled, Then I think of all the babies That are sleeping in the world.
There are babies in the high lands And babies in the low, There are pale ones wrapped in furry skins On the margin of the snow, And brown ones naked in the isles Where all the spices grow.
And some are in the palace, On a white and downy bed; And some are in the garret, With a clout beneath their head; And some are on the cold, hard earth, Whose mothers have no bread.
O little men and women, Dear flowers yet unblown-- O little kings and beggars Of the pageant yet unshown-- Sleep soft and dream pale dreams now, To-morrow is your own.
MY DOLLY
Hush, Dolly, bye, Dolly, sleep, Dolly, dear, See what a bed, Dolly, I"ve for you here; Therefore, to sleep, Dolly! don"t fret and cry; Lay down your head, Dolly, shut up your eye.
When the bright morn, Dolly, once more has come, Up gets the sun, and goes forth to roam; Then shall my dear Dolly soon get up, too; Then shall be playtime for me and for you.
Now go to sleep, Dolly, good night to you; You must to bed, Dolly--I"m going too; Just go to sleep without trouble or pain, And in the morning I"ll come back again.
THE CHILD AND THE WORLD
I see a nest in a green elm-tree With little brown sparrows--one, two, three!
The elm-tree stretches its branches wide, And the nest is soft and warm inside.
At morn the sun, so golden bright, Climbs up to fill the world with light; It opens the flowers, it wakens me, And wakens the birdies--one, two, three.
And leaning out of my window high, I look far up at the blue, blue sky, And then far out at the earth so green, And think it the loveliest ever seen-- The loveliest world that ever was seen!
EVENING SONG
BY C. FRANCES ALEXANDER
Little birds sleep sweetly In their soft round nests, Crouching in the cover Of their mother"s b.r.e.a.s.t.s.
Little lambs lie quiet, All the summer night, With their old ewe mothers, Warm, and soft, and white.
But more sweet and quiet Lie our little heads, With our own dear mothers Sitting by our beds; And their soft sweet voices Sing our hush-a-byes, While the room grows darker, As we shut our eyes.
And we play at evening Round our father"s knees; Birds are not so merry, Singing on the trees, Lambs are not so happy, "Mid the meadow flowers; They have play and pleasure, But not love like ours.
ROCK-A-BYE, BABY
Rock-a-bye, baby, your cradle is green, Father"s a n.o.bleman, mother"s a queen, And Betty"s a lady, and wears a gold ring, And Johnny"s a drummer, and drums for the King.
THE SANDMAN
BY MARGARET VANDERGRIFT
The rosy clouds float overhead The sun is going down, And now the Sandman"s gentle tread Comes stealing through the town.
"White sand, white sand," he softly cries, And as he shakes his hand, Straightway there lies on babies" eyes His gift of shining sand.
Blue eyes, black eyes, gray eyes and brown, As shuts the rose, they softly close, when he goes through the town.
From sunny beaches far away-- Yes, in another land-- He gathers up at break of day His store of shining sand.
No tempests beat that sh.o.r.e remote, No ships may sail that way, His little boat alone may float Within that lovely bay.
Blue eyes, gray eyes, black eyes and brown, As shuts the rose, they softly close, when he goes through the town.
He smiles to see the eyelids close Above the happy eyes; And every child right well he knows-- Oh, he is very wise!
But if, as he goes through the land, A naughty baby cries, His other hand takes dull gray sand To close the wakeful eyes.
Blue eyes, gray eyes, black eyes and brown, As shuts the rose, they softly close, when he goes through the town.
So when you hear the Sandman"s song Sound through the twilight sweet, Be sure you do not keep him long A-waiting on the street.
Lie softly down, dear little head, Rest quiet, busy hands, Till, by your bed his good-night said, He strews the shining sands.
Blue eyes, gray eyes, black eyes and brown, As shuts the rose, they softly close, when he goes through the town.
THE FAIRY FOLK
BY ROBERT BIRD
Come cuddle close in daddy"s coat Beside the fire so bright, And hear about the fairy folk That wander in the night.
For when the stars are shining clear And all the world is still, They float across the silver moon From hill to cloudy hill.
Their caps of red, their cloaks of green, Are hung with silver bells, And when they"re shaken with the wind Their merry ringing swells, And riding on the crimson moth, With black spots on his wings, They guide them down the purple sky With golden bridle rings.
They love to visit girls and boys, To see how sweet they sleep, To stand beside their cozy cots And at their faces peep.
For in the whole of fairy-land They have no finer sight Than little children sleeping sound With faces rosy bright.
On tiptoe crowding round their heads, When bright the moonlight beams, They whisper little tender words That fill their minds with dreams; And when they see a sunny smile, With lightest finger tips They lay a hundred kisses sweet Upon the ruddy lips.
And then the little spotted moths Spread out their crimson wings, And bear away the fairy crowd With shaking bridle rings.
Come bairnies, hide in daddy"s coat, Beside the fire so bright-- Perhaps the little fairy folk Will visit you to-night.
QUEEN MAB