For oftentimes, methinks, her mood The blind grows pale with dawn, and hark! MIDSUMMER NIGHT BY ARCHIBALD LAMPMAN Mother of balms and soothings manifold, seven, To whom the voices of all rest are given, And those few stars whose scattered names are told. Far off, beyond the westward hills outrolled, Darker than thou, more still, more dreamy even, The golden moon leans in the dusky heaven, And under her, one star, a point of gold. And all go slowly lingering toward the west, Weary of daytime, tired of noise and light. SWEET AND LOW BY ALFRED TENNYSON Sweet and low, sweet and low Over the rolling waters go, Come from the dying moon, and blow, Blow him again to me; While my little one, while my pretty one, sleeps. Sleep and rest, sleep and rest, Father will come to thee soon; Rest, rest, on mother's breast, Father will come to thee soon; Father will come to his babe in the nest, Silver sails all out of the west Under the silver moon: Sleep, my little one, sleep, my pretty one, sleep. WYNKEN, BLYNKEN AND NOD BY EUGENE FIELD Wynken, Blynken, and Nod one night Sailed off in a wooden shoe,— Sailed on a river of crystal light Into a sea of dew. "Where are you going, and what do you wish?" The old moon asked the three: "We have come to fish for the herring-fish Nets of silver and gold have we," Blynken, And Nod. The old moon laughed and sang a song, Ruffled the waves of dew; The little stars were the herring-fish That lived in the beautiful sea. "Now cast your nets wherever you wish,Never afeard are we!" So cried the stars to the fishermen three, Wynken, All night long their nets they threw To the stars in the twinkling foam,— Then down from the skies came the wooden shoe, Bringing the fishermen home: 'Twas all so pretty a sail, it seemed As if it could not be; And some folk thought 'twas a dream they'd dreamed Of sailing that beautiful sea; But I shall name you the fishermen three: Wynken, And Nod. Wynken and Blynken are two little eyes, And the wooden shoe that sailed the skies So shut your eyes while Mother sings Of wonderful sights that be, And you shall see the beautiful things As you rock on the misty sea Where the old shoe rocked the fishermen three, Wynken, Blynken, And Nod. MY SOUL IS AN ENCHANTED BOAT BY PERCY BYSSHE SHELLEY My soul is an enchanted boat, Which, like a sleeping swan doth float Upon the silver waves of thy sweet singing; Beside the helm conducting it, Whilst all the winds with melody are ringing. It seems to float ever, for ever, Till, like one in slumber bound, Borne to the ocean, I float down, around, BELLS IN THE RAIN 1 BY ELINOR WYLIE Sleep falls, with limpid drops of rain, The bright drops ring like bells of glass Peace falls unheeded on the dead Asleep; they have had deep peace to drink; It falls most tenderly, I think. 1 From "Nets to Catch the Wind" by Elinor Wylie, copyright, 1921, by Harcourt, Brace and Company, Inc. |