 | Jane and Ann Taylor: Original Poems for Infant Minds |  |
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DEW AND HAIL.
Young Tommy most things well discerned:
He read and understood;
His memory was good;
He taught his little sister what he learned.
He read and understood;
His memory was good;
He taught his little sister what he learned.
Said he, “'Tis morn, but by and by,
Those dews that wet our feet,
The sun will by its heat
Draw up in clouds, to hang around the sky.
Those dews that wet our feet,
The sun will by its heat
Draw up in clouds, to hang around the sky.
“At eve, when he withdraws his powers,
Those dews then gently fall,
At night refreshing all,
The tender grass, the plants, and blooming flowers.
Those dews then gently fall,
At night refreshing all,
The tender grass, the plants, and blooming flowers.
“Those small white stones, that kill the grub and snail,
Are frozen water-drops, these we call hail:
The large ones, that descend in mighty force,
A vast way come, and gather in their course:
Passing through regions cold, of ice and snow,
They still congeal, and large and larger grow:
So large, that one has weighed near half a pound:
Some are likestars, some oblong, most are round;
Some hang on trees, like icicles or spars:
Those come with thunder that are shaped like stars,
Some have killed birds, broke windows, slates and tiles,
And scattered devastation round for miles.
The Lord, though merciful, is yet severe;
And while we love him, let us also fear.”
Are frozen water-drops, these we call hail:
The large ones, that descend in mighty force,
A vast way come, and gather in their course:
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They still congeal, and large and larger grow:
So large, that one has weighed near half a pound:
Some are likestars, some oblong, most are round;
Some hang on trees, like icicles or spars:
Those come with thunder that are shaped like stars,
Some have killed birds, broke windows, slates and tiles,
And scattered devastation round for miles.
The Lord, though merciful, is yet severe;
And while we love him, let us also fear.”
| Jane and Ann Taylor: Original Poems for Infant Minds | |