 | Poems |  |
267
THE BIRD.
A NURSERY SONG
“Birdie, Birdie, will you pet?
Summer is long a-coming yet;
You 'll have silken quilts and a velvet bed,
And a pillow of satin for your head.”
Summer is long a-coming yet;
You 'll have silken quilts and a velvet bed,
And a pillow of satin for your head.”
“There's a prettier bed in the ivy wall,
Where I live with my brothers and sisters and all;
And every day some garden tree
Brings a message from Summer to me.”
Where I live with my brothers and sisters and all;
And every day some garden tree
Brings a message from Summer to me.”
“O Birdie, Birdie, will you pet?
Diamond-stones and amber and jet
We'll string in a necklace fair and fine,
To deck this pretty bird of mine.”
Diamond-stones and amber and jet
We'll string in a necklace fair and fine,
To deck this pretty bird of mine.”
268
“Thanks for your diamonds and amber and jet,
But here is a necklace far better yet;
A ring of feathers of changing hue,
Lighter, and smoother, and warmer too.”
But here is a necklace far better yet;
A ring of feathers of changing hue,
Lighter, and smoother, and warmer too.”
“O Birdie, Birdie, won't you pet?
We'll buy you a dish of silver fret,
A golden cup and an ivory seat,
And carpets soft beneath your feet.”
We'll buy you a dish of silver fret,
A golden cup and an ivory seat,
And carpets soft beneath your feet.”
“There's no running water in cups of gold,
Free food a silver dish can't hold,
A rocking twig beats an ivory chair,
And the softest paths lie through the air—
So adieu, fair lady, adieu!”
Free food a silver dish can't hold,
A rocking twig beats an ivory chair,
And the softest paths lie through the air—
So adieu, fair lady, adieu!”
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