 | Bits of Talk, in verse and prose, for young folks |  |
112
COLORADO SNOW-BIRDS.
I'll tell you how the snow-birds come,
Here in our Winter days;
They make me think of chickens,
With their cunning little ways.
Here in our Winter days;
They make me think of chickens,
With their cunning little ways.
We go to bed at night, and leave
The ground all bare and brown,
And not a single snow-bird
To be seen in all the town.
The ground all bare and brown,
And not a single snow-bird
To be seen in all the town.
But when we wake at morning
The ground with snow is white,
And with the snow, the snow-birds
Must have travelled all the night;
The ground with snow is white,
And with the snow, the snow-birds
Must have travelled all the night;
For the streets and yards are full of them,
The dainty little things,
With snow-white breasts, and soft brown heads,
And speckled russet wings.
The dainty little things,
With snow-white breasts, and soft brown heads,
And speckled russet wings.
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Not here and there a snow-bird,
As we see them at the East,
But in great flocks, like grasshoppers,
By hundreds, at the least,
As we see them at the East,
But in great flocks, like grasshoppers,
By hundreds, at the least,
They push and crowd and jostle,
And twitter as they feed,
And hardly lift their heads up,
For fear to miss a seed.
And twitter as they feed,
And hardly lift their heads up,
For fear to miss a seed.
What 'tis they eat, nobody seems
To know or understand;
The seeds are much too fine to see,
All sifted in the sand.
To know or understand;
The seeds are much too fine to see,
All sifted in the sand.
But winds last Summer scattered them,
All thickly on these plains;
The little snow-birds have no barns,
But God protects their grains.
All thickly on these plains;
The little snow-birds have no barns,
But God protects their grains.
They let us come quite near them,
And show no sign of dread;
Then, in a twinkling, the whole flock
Will flutter on ahead
And show no sign of dread;
Then, in a twinkling, the whole flock
Will flutter on ahead
114
A step or two, and light, and feed,
And look demure and tame,
And then fly on again, and stop,
As if it were a game.
And look demure and tame,
And then fly on again, and stop,
As if it were a game.
Some flocks count up to thousands,
I know, and when they fly,
Their tiny wings make rustle,
As if a wind went by.
I know, and when they fly,
Their tiny wings make rustle,
As if a wind went by.
They go as quickly as they come,
Go in a night or day;
Soon as the snow has melted off,
The darlings fly away,
Go in a night or day;
Soon as the snow has melted off,
The darlings fly away,
But come again, again, again,
All Winter, with each snow;
Brave little armies, through the cold,
Swift back and forth they go.
All Winter, with each snow;
Brave little armies, through the cold,
Swift back and forth they go.
I always wondered where they lived
In Summer, till last year
I stumbled on them in their home,
High in the upper air;
In Summer, till last year
I stumbled on them in their home,
High in the upper air;
115
'Way up among the clouds it was,
A many thousand feet,
But on the mountain-side gay flowers
Were blooming fresh and sweet.
A many thousand feet,
But on the mountain-side gay flowers
Were blooming fresh and sweet.
Great pine-trees' swaying branches
Gave cool and fragrant shade;
And here, we found, the snow-birds
Their Summer home had made.
Gave cool and fragrant shade;
And here, we found, the snow-birds
Their Summer home had made.
“Oh, lucky little snow-birds!”
We said, “to know so well,
In Summer time and Winter time,
Your destined place to dwell—
We said, “to know so well,
In Summer time and Winter time,
Your destined place to dwell—
“To journey, nothing doubting,
Down to the barren plains,
Where harvests are all over,
To find your garnered grains!
Down to the barren plains,
Where harvests are all over,
To find your garnered grains!
“Oh, precious little snow-birds!
If we were half as wise,
If we were half as trusting
To the Father in the skies,—
If we were half as wise,
If we were half as trusting
To the Father in the skies,—
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“He would feed us, though the harvests
Had ceased throughout the land,
And hold us, all our lifetime,
In the hollow of his hand!”
Had ceased throughout the land,
And hold us, all our lifetime,
In the hollow of his hand!”
| Bits of Talk, in verse and prose, for young folks | |