Shared Reading

Table of Contents
Shared Reading

51

Shared Reading Five Day Lesson Plans

53

Adapted Shared Reading For Grades 3-5

55

Explicit Teaching of a Target During Shared Reading

58

Shared Reading Targets

59

Shared Reading Target Bookmarks

64

Copyright Information

66

Poem Titles for Grades 3-5

69

Poems in the Public Domain for Grade 3

76

Poems in the Public Domain for Grade 4

86

Poems in the Public Domain for Grade 5

94

SHARED READING
Definition: Shared reading is a daily, whole class instructional process. The teacher engages
students by inviting predictions, responses and reflections. Shared reading text should be
previously unseen, visible to all and above most students instructional levels. The teacher
demonstrates fluent reading and provides explicit instruction in strategies and skills. Vocabulary,
fluency, comprehension, phonics skills, and genre characteristics are taught.
Share Reading Guidelines:

Limit the time to approximately 15 minutes daily.

Select a narrative, rhythmical text that will be inviting and interesting to students for 5
days.

Choose a text that supports explicit instruction in phonemic awareness, phonics,

vocabulary development, mechanics, print conventions and comprehension.

Explicitly teach one target per lesson.

The following page numbers reference the Literacy Curriculum Teacher Manual K-5 as they
correlate to the shared reading instructional component.
Concepts
About Print
Pages:
D- 4-11
D-19
D-24
D-25
D-29
D-34
F-1
Print
Conventions
Pages:
D-18
E-4

Phonemic
Awareness
Pages:
D-8/9
D-11
D-13
D-16

Language
Mechanics
Pages:
D-10/11
D- 22-25
D- 32-35
E-4

Phonics
Pages:
D-8-12
D-16
D-19
D- 22-25
D- 32-35

Enjoyment/
Prediction
Pages:
D-7
D-21
D-31
F-1

Comprehension
Pages:
D-4 through
D-45

Vocabulary
Pages:
D-10/11
D- 22-24
D- 32-34

Responds
To
Text
Pages:
D-5
D-12
F-2
F-6

ESOL
Pages
LA2
LA7
LA10

Indicated for that grades 3-5 may refer to the adapted shared reading format listed on the following pages.

SELECTING TEXT FOR SHARED READING

Primary
When selecting text for shared reading, consider the following questions:

Does the book have impact, excitement and engage the reader?

Does the book have a predictable storyline and provide for the broadening of insights?

Does the story development lead the students to participate in problem solving?

Does the book have interesting pictures that develop and support the story line?

Is the print size large enough to read in a group?

Is the sentence structure appropriate for fluent reading?

Does the story have rhyme, rhythm and/or repetition?

Does the story hold students interest over repeated readings?

Is the text one that most students would not be able to read on their own?

Is the storyline easily remembered and does it provide opportunities for movement, drama,
innovation, and other varieties of language exploration?

Intermediate
When selecting text for shared reading, consider the following questions:

Does the poem have impact, excitement and engage the reader?

Does the poem have a predictable storyline and provide for the broadening of insights?

Does the poem development lead the students to participate in problem solving?

Is the print size large enough to read in a group?

Is the sentence structure appropriate for fluent reading?

Does the poem hold students interest over repeated readings?

Is the poem one that most students would not be able to read on their own?

Shared Reading
Grade ____ Lesson Plan
Text:__________________________________________________________
(Unseen

Enlarged

Rhythmical

Able to be Retold)

Day 1: Enjoyment and Prediction

1. Building background (schema): __________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
(accept only a few responses).
2. Introduce text.
3. Accept only a few predictions.
4. Read modeling fluency.

Day 2: Vocabulary and Language Usage

1. Read the text modeling fluency.
2. Define unfamiliar vocabulary: ____________________

_____________________

3. Language target:______________________________________________________________________
4. Target definition: _____________________________________________________________________

Day 3: Print Conventions / Language Mechanics

1. Read the text modeling fluency.
2. Convention or mechanics target:_____________________________________________________________________
3. Target definition: _____________________________________________________________________________

Day 4: Reading Strategies

1. Read the text modeling fluency.
2. Specific reading target (phonics, comprehension or visual language target):____________________________
3. Target definition: _____________________________________________________________________

Day 5: Response To Text

1. Read the text modeling fluency.
2. Processing response: ________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Adapted from National Literacy Coalition

Shared Reading
Day Five
Responses/Processing
Visual Responses/Illustrations

Comic Strip

Advertisement

Wanted Poster

Caricature

Costume Design

Drawing

Painting

Visual Responses/Graphic Organizers

Comparison Chart/Venn Diagrams

Family Tree

Story Structure Chart

Character Web

Time Line

Map

Blueprint

Outline

Flow Chart

Oral Responses

Storytelling

Role Play

Oral Interpretation

Monologue

Discussion

Newscast

Written Responses

Letter

Diary Entry

News Article

New Ending

Parallel Structure Writing

Song

Essay

Dialogue Script

Review

Critique

Editorial

Adapted Shared Reading

For Grades 3-5
One of the major goals of shared reading is to help students develop a range of effective strategies for
reading and understanding text (Read It Again!, Parkes, 2000). For older students, shared reading provides
support to make difficult texts accessible to all students in a class. The emphasis may not be on making
anticipations at the word level but rather on supporting students as they interpret and analyze more challenging
texts. In order to accommodate the depth of study for more sophisticated targets, teachers in grades 3-5 may
find it necessary to use picture books, short stories, and the core programs anthology. In addition, the purpose
for the adapted shared reading format gives students the opportunity to hear information and story from a
variety of genres and styles. With the teacher doing the decoding, students are able to focus on making meaning
from text and connecting the text to their own lives(On The Same Page, Allen 2002). Therefore, depending on
the materials used and the depth at which a target needs to be taught, days spent using a text may need to be
adjusted from the 5 day lesson plan format. In the adapted shared reading format, students all have a copy of the
same text or the text is projected and visible to all students. The teacher engages students by inviting
predictions, response and reflections. The teacher demonstrates fluent reading and provides explicit instruction
in strategies and skills. The teacher demonstrates, or shows kids how, including explaining the strategy or skill,
thinking aloud about the mental processes used to construct meaning, and demonstrating when and why it is
most effective. Students are invited to practice a strategy or skill during whole-class discussions and asked to
apply it in collaboration with peers in pairs or small groups. However, the interaction should not detract from
the fluent reading of the text but rather should complement and enrich the reading.
The shared reading 5 day format and the adapted format hold significant instructional value in a 3rd 5th
grade classroom. Therefore, a teacher in grades 3-5 should allow for and balance instructional time for both
shared reading formats.

Selecting Text for Adapted Shared Reading

When selecting text for shared reading, consider the following questions:

Does the text have impact, excitement and engage the reader?

Does the have complex concepts, language patterns and story structures?

Does the text evoke emotional responses?

Is the sentence structure appropriate for fluent reading?

Does the text employ rich language to create visual images?

Does the text expand students world knowledge

Adapted from Janet Allen: On The Same Page

Eyes past print with voice support

Janet Allen

Adapted Shared Reading Lesson Plan

Schema Question: Ask a question that will assist the students in making connection to the text.
Introduction: Explicitly name and define the genre for the text.
Establish Purpose: Teacher may establish purpose by using:
prediction
brainstorm
concept web
anticipation guide
words in context
KWL
discussion
other CRISS strategies
Teacher Reads the Text Aloud While Thinking Aloud or Commenting
Page

Sentence/Paragraph

Think Aloud/Discussion Stop Points

P-2

Text To Text Connection-When I was lost at the mall.

Explicit Teaching of a Target

name the target
define the target
explain the rationale/reason for the target
explain when to use the target
model the target using this text
practice the target (in context) with the group
ask students to restate the target
Feedback and/or Sharing
Response To Text

Adapted Shared Reading Lesson Plan

Text:_____________________________________________________________________________________
Author:__________________________________________________________________________________
Schema Question: _________________________________________________________________________
Introduction: Genre:________________________ Definition: ____________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Establish Purpose: _________________________________________________________________________
Teacher Reads the Text Aloud While Thinking Aloud or Commenting
Page

Sentence/Paragraph

Think Aloud/Discussion Stop Points

Explicit Teaching of a Target

name the target_______________________________________________________________________
define the target______________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
explain the rationale/reason for the target__________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
explain when to use the target___________________________________________________________
model the target using this text: pg ______________________________________________________
practice the target (in context) with the group pg. __________, pg. __________, pg. ___________
ask students to restate the target
Feedback and/or Sharing
Response To Text: _________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Explicit Teaching of a Target

During Shared Reading
1. Name the target.
2. Define the target.
3. Explain the rationale/reason for target.
4. Explain when to use the target.
5. Model the target.
6. Practice the target (in context) with the
group.
7. Ask students to restate the target.

Shared Reading
Day Two Targets
Shaded area indicates grade taught

Target

Sight words
Letter/Sound ID
Concepts About Print

Language Usage Targets

Action words
Rhyming words
Colorful comparisons
Tense
Nouns
Prefixes
Suffixes
Metaphor
Simile
Alliteration
Personification
Onomatopoeia
Hyperbole
Diction
Slang
Dialogue
Flashback
Tone
Mood
Negative definition
Dialect
Pun
Jargon
Idiom
Oxymoron
Style
Sarcasm
Foreshadowing
Analogies
Extended metaphor
Understatement
Assonance
Consonance
Symbolism

*
*S
S

Shared Reading
Day Three Targets
Shaded area indicates grade taught

Target

Phonemic awareness

Conventions Targets
Period
Comma
Hyphen
Semicolon
Question mark
Apostrophe
Dash
Parentheses
Quotation marks
Colon
Exclamation mark
Ellipse
Italics
Brackets
Asterisk

Mechanics Targets
Capitalization
Plurals
Abbreviations
Subject/verb agreement
Pronoun/antecedent agreement
Verb forms
Paragraphing
Noun case
Active/passive voice
Enjambment
Stanza
Verse

*
S

Shared Reading
Day Four Targets
Shaded area indicates grade taught

Target

Phonics / Decoding Targets

Uses pictures to cue reading
Combines picture cues with graphophonic (initial consonant)
cues
Uses semantic cues (meaning from prior knowledge)
Uses syntactic cues (word order from prior knowledge)
Uses semantic cues (meaning from context)
Combines graphophonic cues (initial consonants with word
families)
Combines graphophonic cues (consonant-vowel-consonant)
Combines graphophonic cues (c-v-c-v)
Combines graphophonic cues (c-v-v-c)
Uses syntactic cues (word form [plural/singular] from prior
knowledge)
Uses syntactic cues (word tense [present/past] from prior
knowledge)
Combines graphophonic cues (familiar parts of a word)
Uses graphophonic cues (vowel combinations)
Uses graphophonic cues (r controlled vowels)
Goes back to the beginning of the sentence and reads again
when an unknown word is encountered
Jumps over an unknown word, reads to the end, comes back,
and tries again for decoding

*
S

Shared Reading
Day Four Targets Continued
Shaded area indicates grade taught

Target

K
Comprehension Targets

Identifies beginning and end of story

Retells a shared story in sequence
Identifies character(s)
Describes character(s)
Analyzes the impact of character(s)
Identifies setting
Describes setting
Analyzes the impact of setting
Identifies problem and solution
Identifies conflict
Describes events
Describes climax
Identifies plot
Identifies theme
Describes historical context
Analyzes for historical context
Describes social context
Describes political context
Identifies bias
Identifies prejudices

Shared Reading
Day Four Targets Continued
Shaded area indicates grade taught

Target

K
Visual Language Targets

Font
Illustration
Layout
White space
Text position
Justification
Point size
Borders
Shading
Case
Subscript
Superscript
Paragraphing
Vertical orientation
Horizontal orientation
Landscape
Portrait

Poems for Shared Reading

Grades 3-5

The following section is a listing and collection of poems that are

appropriate for use during shared reading in grades three through
five. The targets identified in the early pages of the section can be
taught using these resources. The copies of the poems enclosed are
a part of public domain and can be used without concern for
copyright violation. The ones identified as need rights are
poems that are copyright protected and need permission from the
publisher to be used. District personnel are working to seek
permission to use these poems during shared reading, as well.
While this process is in progress, it would be permissible for
teachers to make ONE copy of the need rights poems this year.
Please refer to the enclosed pages from Dr. Gary H. Beckers
book, Copyright: A Guide to Information and Resources, Second
Edition. This book is available in the Media Centers at each
school.

Poems For Third Grade

Update: July 12, 2001
Grade

Poem

A Beetle Tale

A Remarkable Adventure

STATUS

Author

public domain

E. Keary

A Visit From Mr. Fox

public domain

Unknown

An Alley Cat with One Life Left

need rights

Jack Prelutsky

An Irritating Creature

need rights

Jack Prelutsky

Artichokes

need rights

Pike Johnson Jr.

Benjamin Jones Goes Swimming

Billy Batter

Bunny Rabbit's Predicament

Life Info

Jack Prelutsky

Catherine

need rights

Karla Kuskin

Crazy Dream

need rights

Shel Silverstein??

Eat it All Elaine

need rights

Father Loses Weight

Publisher

1857-88

***

1889-1969
A Children's Treasury
Zondervan
of Verse

Aileen Fisher
need rights

Book Title

1932-

New Treasury of
Children's Poetry

Doubleday & Co.

Kaye Starbird

1916-

Piping Down the

Valleys Wild

Delacorte Press

need rights

X.J. Kennedy

1929

First Thanksgiving of All

need rights

Nancy Byrd Turner

1880-?

Fun with Fishing

need rights

Eunice Tietjens

1844-1944

Good King Wencelas

tale

Goody O' Grumpity

need rights

Carol Ryrie Brink

1895-1991

I Found a Four Leaf Clover

need rights

Jack Prelutsky

I Made Something Strange with my

need rights
Chemistry Set

Jack Prelutsky

I Sailed on Half a Ship

need rights

Jack Prelutsky

In the Orchard

need rights

James Stephens

1880-1950

January Jumps About

need rights

George Barker

1913-

Jim Who Ran Away from His Nurse need rights

Hilaire Belloc

1870-1953

Johnny and his Slingshot

Riley Watson

King Fashion

public domain

E. Keary

1857-88

Lincoln

need rights

Nancy Byrd Turner

1880-?

Little Joe Tunney

Rebecca McCann

Miss Veronica Blair

Linda J. Knaus

Mrs. Murphy and Mrs. Murphy's Kids need rights

Jack Prelutsky

My Gerbil Seemed Bedraggled

need rights

Jack Prelutsky

My Mother Made a Meatloaf

need rights

Jack Prelutsky

Pachycephalosaurus

need rights

Richard Armour

Favorite Poems Old &

Doubleday & Co.
New
Favorite Poems Old &
Doubleday & Co.
New

Favorite Poems Old &

Doubleday & Co.
New

Oxford Book of Story Oxford University

Poems
Press

Favorite Poems Old &

Doubleday & Co.
New

A Dozen Dinosaurs

McGraw Hill, Inc.

Poems for Third Grade Continued

Grade

Poem

STATUS

Author

Life Info

Pet Shopping

need rights

Kenn Nesbitt

Sneaky Sue

need rights

Jack Prelutsky

Snowman's Resolution

Thanksgiving Day

public domain

The Bugs Are Out

need rights

The Carpenter Rages

need rights

Jack Prelutsky

The Duck and the Kangaroo

public domain

Edward Lear

1812-1888

The Duel

public domain

Eugene Field

1850-1895

The Gingerbread Man

need rights

Rowena Bennett

1896-

The Lion and the Echo

need rights

Brian Patten

The Lobster Quadrille

public domain

Lewis Carroll

1832-1898

The Lost Doll

public domain

Charles Kingsley

1819-1875

The Mouse and the Cake

public domain

Eliza Cook (1849)

The Nap Taker

need rights

Shel Silverstein??

The Old Wife and the Ghost

need rights

James Reeves

The Sad Story of a Little Boy That

Cried

Anonymous

The Swapping Song

as told to Richard Chase

The Turkey Shot Out of the Oven

The Two Rats

Unknown

The Ups and Downs of the Elevator

Car

Caroline D. Emerson

There Was An Old Lady

There's a New Cook in the Cafeteria need rights

Tricking

need rights

Jack Prelutsky

Turn Off the TV!

need rights

Bruce Lansky

Twenty Froggies

need rights

George Cooper

When Daddy Sat on the Tomatoes

need rights

Jack Prelutsky

Who Pulled the Plug in my Ant

Farm?

need rights

Wyken, Blynken, and Nod

public domain

Book Title

Publisher

Aileen Fisher

need rights

need rights

Lydia Maria Child

1802-1880

Oxford Treasury of
Children's Poems

Jack Prelutsky

Dennis Lee

Eugene Field

Sing A Song of
Scholastic
Popcorn
Oxford Book of Story Oxford University
Poems
Press

1939-

1838-1927

Oxford University
Press

Poems For Fourth Grade

Grade

Poem

STATUS

Author

Life Info
1868-1934

Book Title
Publisher
Favorite Poems Old
Doubleday & Co.
& New

A Feller I Know

need rights

Mary Austin

A Goat Wandered into the Junkyard

need rights

Jack Prelutsky

About Jimmy James

need rights

An Extraterrestrial Alien

need rights

Blubbering at the Movies

Bulgy Bunne

need rights

Jack Prelutsky

Casey Jones

need rights

Unknown

Dainty Dottie Dee

need rights

Jack Prelutsky

Dauntless Dimble

need rights

Dorlans Home-Walk

need rights

Arthur Guiterman

1871-1943

Eldorado

public domain

Edgar Allan Poe

1809-1849

Floradora Doe

need rights

Garbage Delight

need rights

Dennis Lee

1939-

George

need rights

Hilaire Belloc

1870-1953

Fireside Book of
Humorous Poetry

Golden Cobwebs

Hunter Trials

need rights

John Betjeman

1906-1984

Everymans Book of
J.M. Dent & sons
Evergreen Verse

Jack and the Beanstalk

need rights

Roald Dahl

Jack Frost

Jesse James

Leetla Giorgio Washeenton

need rights

Little Orphant Annie

public domain

Matilda

need rights

Hilaire Belloc

1870-1953

Millers End

need rights

Charles Causley

1917-

Mungle and the Munn

My Brother Bert

need rights

Ted Hughes

1930-

On Ageing

need rights

Maya Angelou

1928-

On the Death of a Mad Dog

public domain

Oliver Goldsmith

1730-1774

One, Two, Three

public domain

Henry Cuyler
Bunner

1855-1896

Oops!

need rights

Bruce Lansky

Somebodys Mother

need rights

Mary Dow Brine

The Beautiful, Fabulous Phyllis McFee

The Childrens Hour

Jack Prelutsky
Greta B. Lipson

American Folk Poetry Little, Brown & Co.

Thomas Augustine
1871-1948
Daly
James Whitcomb
1849-1916
Riley

1816-1913

Riley Watson
public domain

Henry Wadsworth
Longfellow

1809-1882

Simon Shuster

Favorite Poems Old

Doubleday & Co.
& New

Everymans Book of
J.M. Dent & sons
Evergreen Verse

Aint I A Woman!

Peter Bedrick Books

Poems for Fourth Grade Continued

Grade

Poem

STATUS

Author

Life Info

Book

Publisher

The Day Mother Came to School in her

Nightgown

need rights

Dakos

The Dumb Solider

public domain

Robert Louis
Stevenson

1850-1894

The Fox and the Crow

need rights

Daryl Hine

1936

New Oxford Book of Oxford University

Canadian Verse
Press

The Giveaway

need rights

Phyllis McGinley

1905-1978

Poems to Read AloudW.W. Norton & Co.

The New Duckling

need rights

Alfred Noyes

1880-1958

The Book of a
Thousand Poems

The Pig

need rights

Roald Dahl

The Sea Wolf

need rights

Violet McDougal

no dates

Favorite Poems Old

Doubleday & Co.
& New

The Snopp on the Sidewalk

need rights

Jack Prelutsky

The Twins

public domain

Henry S. Leigh

1837-1883

The Witch of Willowby Wood

need rights

Rowena Bennett

1896-

Vacation Frustration

need rights

Kenn Nesbitt

When A Giant Has a Haircut

need rights

Kenn Nesbitt

When Tilli Ate the Chili

need rights

Jack Prelutsky

Wilbur Wright and Orville Wright

You Are Old, Father William

Rosemary&Stephen
Vincent Benet

public domain

Lewis Carroll

1832-1898

Sing A Song of
Popcorn

Peter Bedrick Books

Scholastic

Poems for Fifth Grade

Grade
Poem
5
Turtle and Flamingo

STATUS
public domain

Author
James Thomas Fields

Life Info
1817-1881

Book Title
Norton Anthology
of English
Literature II

Publisher

A Martian Sends a Postcard Home need rights

Craig Raine

1944-

A Visit From St. Nick

public domain

Clement Clark Moore

1779-1863

Adventures of Isabel

need rights

Ogden Nash

1902-1971

Modern American
Harcourt Brace & World
Poetry

An Old Indian Lumber Camp Song

Annar Marrar's Christmas
Shopping
Favorite Poems
Old & New

5
5

At the Theater

need rights

Rachel Field

1894-1942

Barbara Fritchie

public domain

John Greenleaf Whittier

1807-1892

Casey at the Bat

need rights

Ernest Lawrence Thayer

no dates

Christopher Columbus

need rights

Stephen Vincent Benet

1898-1943

W.W. Norton & Co.

Doubleday & Co.

American In Poetry Harry N. Adams

Rosemary&Stephen Vincent
Benet

Clara Barton

Clementine

need rights

Percy Montrose

no dates

Colonel Fazackerley

need rights

Charles Causley

1917-

Columbus Day

need rights

Jimmie Durham

1940-

Da Boy From Rome

need rights

Thomas Augustine Daly

1871-1948

Daniel Boone

need rights

Arthur Guiterman

1871-1943

Elizabeth Blackwell

Erie Canal

public domain

Williams Allen

Four Vain and Ancient Tortoises

need rights

Jack Prelutsky

Happy Birthday, Dear Dragon

Unknown

Harriet Tubman

Eloise Greenfield

1929 -

Jabberwocky

public domain

Lewis Carroll

1832-1898

James Buchanan

Jest 'Fore Christmas

public domain

Eugene Field

1850-1895

John Henry

need rights

Unknown

Legend

need rights

Judith Wright

Macavity: The Mystery Cat

need rights

T.S. Eliot

Molly Pitcher

public domain

Kate Brownlee Sherwood

My Brother Built a Robot

need rights

Jack Prelutsky

O Captain! My Captain!

public domain

Walt Whitman

Paul Revere's Ride

public domain

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Revolutionary Tea

Seein' Things

public domain

Eugene Field

1850-1895

Tartary

need rights

Walter de la Mare

1873-1956

Anthology of
American Poetry

Avenel Books

HATNAP

Favorite Poems
Old & New

Doubleday & Co.

Eve Mirriam
1803-1879

AMFR
New Oxford Book
Oxford University Press
of Australian Verse
Cat Will Rhyme
1888-1965 with Hat: A Book of Charles Scribner's Sons
Poems
1841-1914
1915-

Oxford Book of
Children's Verse

Oxford University Press

Poems for Fifth Grade Continued

Grade

Poem

STATUS

Author

Life Info

Book Title

The Ant Eater

public domain Edward Lear

The Brook

public domain Alfred Lord Tennyson

The Cow Town Ballet

need rights

The Dinkey Bird

public domain Eugene Field

1850-1895

The Dorchester Giant

public domain Oliver Wendell Holmes

1809-1894

The Embarrassing Episode of Little

public domain Guy Wetmore Carryl
Miss Muffet

The Frogs Who Wanted A King

The Inchcape Rock

public domain Robert Southey

1774-1843

The Little Black Eyed Rebel

public domain Will Carleton

1845-1912

The New Vestments

public domain Edward Lear

1812-1888

The Night Mail

need rights

W.H. Auden

1907-1973 CHTR

The Oregon Trail: 1843

need rights

Arthur Guiterman

1871-1943

The Perfect Pets

need rights

Jack Prelutsky

The Quangle Wangle's Hat

public domain Edward Lear

1812-1888

The Spider and the Fly

public domain Mary Howitt

1799-1888

The Star Spangled Banner

public domain Francis Scott Key

The Tale of Custard the Dragon

need rights

Ogden Nash

1902-1971

The Walrus and the Carpenter

public domain Lewis Carroll

1832-1898

When I Grow Up

need rights

1923 -

Publisher

1809-1892

Kenn Nesbitt

1893-1904 ****check this

Joseph Lauren

William Wise

Favorite Poems
Old & New

Doubleday & Co.

Favorite Poems
Old & New

Doubleday & Co.

Wynken, Blynken and Nod

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
and what do you wish?
The old moon asked the three.
We have come to fish for the herring fish
That live in this beautiful sea;

you going,

Nets of silver and gold have we!

Said Wynken,
Blynken,
And Nod.
The old moon laughed and sang a song,
As they rocked in the wooden shoe,
And the wind
night long
Ruffled the
The little stars
herring fish
That lived in that
Now cast your nets wherever you
Never afeared are we;
So cried the stars to the fishermen
Wynken,
Blynken,
And Nod.
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;
T/was all so pretty a sail it seemed
As if it could not be,
And some folks thought twas a dream theyd dreamed
Of sailing that beautiful sea
But I shall name you the fishermen three:
Wynken,
Blynken,
And Nod.
Wynken and Blynken are two little eyes,
And Nod is a little head,
And the wooden shoe that sailed the skies
Is a wee ones trundle-bed.
So shut your eyes while mother sings
Of wonderful sights that be,
And you shall see the beautiful things
As you rock in the misty sea,
Where the old shoe rocked the fishermen three:
Wynbken,
Blynken
And Nod.

that sped them all

waves of dew.
were the
beautiful sea--wish--three:

THE LOBSTER QUADRILLE

Lewis Carroll
Will

you walk a little faster? said a whiting to a snail,

Theres a porpoise close behind us, and hes treading on my tail.
See how eagerly the lobsters and the turtles advance!
They are waiting on the shinglewill you come and join the dance?
Will you, wont you, will you wont you,
Will you join the dance?
Will you, wont you, will you, wont you,
Wont you join the dance?
You can really have no notion how delightful it will be
When they take us up and throw us, with the lobsters out to sea!
But the snail replied, Too far, too far! and gave a look askance
Said he thanked the whiting kindly, but he would not join the dance.
Would not, could not, would not, could not,
Would not join the dance.
Would not, could not, would not, could not,
Could not join the dance.
What matters it how far we go? his scaly friend replied.
There is another shore, you know, upon the other side.
The further off from England the near is to France
Then turn not pale, beloved snail, but come and join the dance.

A BEETLE TALE
E. Keary

O COME, the elder beetle said,

For every one is safe in bed,
Tis time to seek our nightly bread.
Then forth he crept with stealthy tread.
The clock ticked onyou would not deem
Aught could have broke that peace supreme,
The children slept, they scarce did dream,
The young moon cast a fitful gleam.
From crack and cranny beetles crept;
In black and polished coats they stept
Upon that floor, which Jane had swept.
Ah me! How fast those children slept!
The elder beetle scratched his head
And thought a momentthen he said:
Follow me, children, and be fed.
Forth to the larder door he led.
The Cook turned in her sleeptoo late!
She should have covered with a plate
The dish that none shall save from fate;
She dreams the clock is striking eight!
But ah! Not yet the night has run,
Not yet appears the morning sun
Cooks handiwork is soon undone,
The tarts are eaten every one!

KING FASHION
THERE was a King of England once,
I shall not tell his name,
But what this King of England thought,
The people thought the same.
All that he said they listened to,
And called it wondrous wise;
On everything in earth or heaven
They looked with courtiers eyes.
To every one of his commands
They said, So let it be.
There never yet a monarch was
More absolute than he.
One day within his presence-hall
Two men stood forth together
One dressed in velvet and in gold,
The other clad in leather.
The King said to his people,
Remember what youre told,
You may kick the man in leather,
You must kiss the man in gold.
Whilst on a country walk one day,
The King espied a frog.
Why, here, said he, Ive found a most
Peculiar kind of dog!
He shall have meat for breakfast,
Of milk three saucers full,
A golden collar for his neck,
And a bed of cotton-wool.
Then every courtier kept a frog
And called it a peculiar dog!
E.K.

THE LOST DOLL

I once had a sweet little doll, dears,

The prettiest doll in the world;
Her cheeks were so red and white,
Dears,
And her fair was so charmingly
Curled.
But I lost my poor little doll, dears,
As I played on the heath one day
And I cried for her more than a week,
Dears,
But I never could find where she lay.
I found my poor little doll, dears,
As I played on the heath one day;
Folks say she is terribly changed,
Dears,
For her paint is all washed away,
And her arms trodden off by the
Cows, dears,
And her hair not the least bit curled;
Yet for old sakes sake, she is still,
Dears,
The prettiest doll in the world.
Charles Kinglsey

THANKSGIVING DAY
Over the river and through the wood
To grandfathers house we go;
The horse knows the way
To carry the sleigh
Through the white and drifted snow.
Over the river and through the wood
Oh, how the wind does blow!
It stings the toes
And bites the nose,
As over the ground we go.
Over the river and through the wood,
To have a first-rate play.
Hear the bells ring,
Ting-a-ling-ding!
Hurrah for Thanksgiving Day!
Over the river and through the wood
Trot fast, my dapple-gray!
Spring over the ground,
Like a hunting-hound!
For this is Thanksgiving Day.
Over the river and through the wood,
And straight through the barnyard gate.
We see to go
Extremely slow,--It is so hard to wait!
Over the river and through the wood--Now grandmothers cap I spy!
Hurrah for the fun!
Is the pudding done?
Hurrah for the pumpkin-pie!
Lydia Maria Child

A VISIT FROM MR. FOX

The fox set out in hungry plight,
And begged the moon to give him light,
For hed many a mile to travel that night,
Before he could reach his den, Oh!
First he came to a farmers yard,
Where the ducks and geese declared it was hard
That their nerves should be shaken, and their rest be marred
By a visit from Mr. Fox, Oh!
He seized the gray goose by the sleeve,
Says he, Madame Gray Goose, by your leave,
Ill carry you off without reprieve,
And take you away to my den, Oh!
He seized the gray duck by the neck,
And flung her over across his back,
While the old duck cried out, Quack, quack, quack!
With her legs dangling down behind, Oh!
Then old Mrs. Flipper Flapper jumped out of her bed,
And out of the window she popped her head,
Crying, John, John, John, the gray goose is gone,
And the fox is off to his den, Oh!
So the fox he hurried home to his den,
To his dear little foxes eight, nine ten.
Were in luck, heres a big fat duck
With her legs dangling down behind, Oh!
The fox sat down with his hungry wife
And they made a good meal without fork or knife.
They never had a better time in all their life,
And the little ones picked the bones, Oh!
Author Unknown

THE MOUSE AND THE CAKE

A mouse found a beautiful piece of plum cake,
The richest and sweetest that mortal could make;
Twas heavy with citron and fragrant with spice,
And covered with sugar all sparkling as ice.
My stars! cried the mouse, while his eye beamed with glee,
Heres a treasure Ive found: what a feast it will be;
But, hark! Theres a noise, tis my brothers at play;
So Ill hide with the cake, lest they wander this way.
Not a bit shall they have, for I know I can eat
Every morsel myself, and Ill have such a treat.
So off went the mouse as he held the cake fast;
While his hungry young brothers went scampering past.
He nibbled, and nibbled, and panted, but still
He kept gulping it down till he made himself ill;
Yet he swallowed it all, and tis easy to guess,
He was soon so unwell that he groaned with distress.
His family heard him, and as he grew worse,
They sent for the doctor, who made him rehearse
How hed eaten the cake to the very last crumb,
Without giving his playmates and relatives some.
Ah me! cried the doctor, advice is too late;
You must die before long, so prepare for your fate.
If you had but divided the cake with your brothers,
Twould have done you no harm, and been good for the others.
Had you shared it, the treat had been wholesome enough;
But eaten by one, it was dangerous stuff;
So prepare for the worst--- and the word had scarce fled,
When the doctor turned round, the patient was dear.
Now all little people the lesson may take,
And some large ones may learn from the mouse and the cake;
Not to be over-selfish with what we may gain,
Or the best of our pleasures may turn into pain.
ELIZA COOK
Eliza Cooks Journal, 1849

ONE, TWO, THREE!

It was an old, old, old lady,
And a boy that was half-past three;
And the way that they played together
Was beautiful to see.
She couldnt go romping and jumping,
And the boy no more could he;
For he was a thin little fellow,
With a thin little twisted knee.
They sat in the yellow sunlight,
Out under the maple tree;
And the game they played Ill tell you,
Just as it was told to me.
It was hide-andgo-seek they were playing,
Though youd never have known it to be--With an old, old, old, old lady,
And a boy with a twisted knee.
The boy would bend his face down
On his little sound right knee,
And he guessed where she was hiding
In guesses One, Two, Three.
You are in the china closet!
He would laugh and cry with glee--It wasnt the china closet,
But he still had Two and Three.
You are up in Papas big bedroom,
In the chest with the queer old key!
And she said: You are warm and warmer
But youre not quite right, said she.
It cant be the little cupboard
Where Mammas things used to be--So it must be in the clothespress, Granma!
And he found her with his Three.
Then she covered her face with her fingers,
That were wrinkled and white and wee,
And she guessed where the boy was hiding,
With a One and a Two and a Three.
And they never had stirred from their places
Right under the maple tree--This old, old, old, old lady,
And the boy with the lame little knee--This dear, dear, dear old lady,
And the boy who was half-past three.

Henry Cuyler Bunner

Little Orphant Annie

Little Orphant Annies come to our house to stay,
An wash the cups and saucers up, an brush the crumbs away,
An shoo the chickens off the proch, an dust the hearth, an
Sweep,
An make the fire, an bake the bread, an earn her board-ankeep
An all us other children, when the supper things is done,
We set around the kitchen fire an has the mostest fun
A listnin to the witch tales at Annie tells about,
An the Gobble-uns at gits you
Ef you
Dont
Watch
Out!
Onct they was a little boy wouldnt say his prayers, --So when he went to bed at night, away upstairs,
His Mammy heerd him holler, an his Daddy heerd him bawl,
An when they turnt thekivvers down, he wasnt there at all!
An they seeked him in the rafter room, an cubbyhole, an press
An; seeked him up the chimbly flue, an everwheres, I guess;
But all they ever found was thist his pants an roundabout:--An; the Gobble-uns ll git you
Ef you
Dont
Watch
Out!
An one time a little girl ud allus laugh an grin,
An make fun of everone, an all her blood an kin;
An onct, when they was company, an ole folks was there,
She mocked em, an said she didnt care!
An thist as she kicked her heels, an turnt to run an hide,
They was two great big Black Things a-standin by her side,
An they snatched her through the ceilin fore she knowed what
Shes about!
An the Gobble-uns ll git you
Ef you
Dont
Watch
Out!
Little Orpant Annie says, when the blaze is blue,
An the lamp-wick sputters, an the wind goes woo-oo!
An you hear the crickets quit, an the moon is gray,
An the lightnin bugs in dew is all squenched away, --You better mind yer parents, and yer techers fond an dear,
An churish them at loves you, an dry the orphants tear,
An help the pore an needy ones at clusters all about,
Or the Gobble-uns ll git you
Ef you
Dont
Watch
Out!

JAMES WHITCOME RILEY

THE DUMB SOLDIER

When the grass was closely mown,
Walking on the lawn alone,
In the turf a hole I found,
And hid a soldier underground.
Spring and daisies came apace;
Grasses hide my hiding space;
Grasses run like a green sea
Oer the lawn up to my knee.
Under grass alone he lies,
Looking up with leaden eyes,
Scarlet coat and pointed gun,
To the stars and to the sun.
When the grass is ripe like grain,
When the scythe is stoned again,
When the lawn is shaven clear,
They my hole shall reappear.
I shall find him, never fear,
I shall find my grenadier;
But for all thats gone and come,
I shall find my soldier dumb.
He has lived, a little thing,
In the grassy woods of spring;
Done, if he could tell me true,
Just as I should like to do.
He has seen the starry hours
And the springing of the flowers;
And the fairy things that pass
In the forests of the grass.
In the silence he has heard
Talking bee and ladybird,
And the butterfly has flown
Oer him as he lay alone.
Not a word will he disclose,
Not a word of all he knows.
I must lay him on the shelf,
And make up the tale myself.
ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON

YOU ARE OLD, FATHER WILLIAM

You are old, father William, the young man said,

And your hair has become very white;
And yet you incessantly stand on your head--Do you think, at your age, it is right?
In my youth, father William replied to his son,
I feared it would injure the brain;
But now that Im perfectly sure I have none,
Why, I do it again and again.
You are old, said the youth, as I mentioned before,
And have grown most uncommonly fat;
Yet you turned a back-somersault in at the door--Pray, what is the reason of that?
In my youth, said the sage, as he shook his grey locks,
I kept all my limbs very supple
By the use of this ointment one shilling the box --Allow me to sell you a couple.
You are old, said the youth, and your jaws are too weak
For anything tougher than suet;
Yet you finished the goose, with the bones and the beak--Pray, how did you manage to do it?
In my youth, said his father, I took to the law,
And argued each case with my wife;
And the muscular strength, which it gave to my jaw,
Has lasted the rest of my life.
You are old, said the youth; one would hardly suppose
That your eye was as steady as ever;
Yet you balanced an eel on the end of your nose --What made you so awfully clever?
I have answered three questions, and that is enough,
Said his father; Dont give yourself airs!
Do you think I can listen all day to such stuff?
Be off, or Ill kick you down stairs!

LEWIS CARROLL

THE CHILDRENS HOUR

Between the dark and the daylight,
When the night is beginning to lower,
Comes a pause in the days occupations,
That is known as the Childrens Hour.
I hear in the chamber above me,
The patter of little feet,
The sound of a door that is opened,
And voices soft and sweet.
From my study I see in the lamplight,
Descending the broad hall stair,
Grave Alice, and laughing Allegra,
And Edith with golden hair.
A whisper, and then a silence:
Yet I know by their merry eyes
They are plotting and planning together
To take me by surprise.
A sudden rush from the stairway,
A sudden raid from the hall!
By three doors left unguarded
They enter my castle wall!
They climb up into my turret
Oer the arms and back of my chair;
If I try to escape, they surround me;
They seem to be everywhere.
They almost devour me with kisses,
Their arms about me entwine,
Till I think of the Bishop of Bingen
In his Mouse-Tower on the Rhine!
Do you thin, O blue-eyed banditti,
Because you have scaled the wall,
Such an old mustache as I am
Is not a match for you all!
I have you fast in my fortress,
And will not let you depart,
But put you down into the dungeon
In the round-tower of my heart.
And there will I keep you forever,
Yes, forever and a day,
Till the walls shall crumble to ruin,
And moulder in dust away!
HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOW

ON THE DEATH OF A MAD DOG

Good people all, of every sort,
Give ear unto my song;
And if you find it wondrous short,
It cannot hold you long.
In Islington there was a man,
Of whom the world might say,
That still a godly race he ran,
Wheneer he went to pray.
A kind and gentle heart he had,
To comfort friends and foes;
The naked every day he clad,
When he put on his clothes.
And in that town a dog was found,
As many dogs there be,
Both mongrel, puppy, whelp, and hound,
And curs of low degree.
This dog and man at first were friends;
But when a pique began,
The dog, to gain his private ends,
Went mad, and bit the man.
Around from all the neighbouring streets
The wondering neighbours ran,
And swore the dog had lost his wits,
To bite so good a man.
The would it seemed both sore and sad
To every Christian eye;
And while they swore the dog was mad,
They swore the man would die.
But soon a wonder came to light,
That showed the rogues they lied;
The man recovered of the bit,
The dog it was that died.
OLIVER GOLDSMITH

The Twins
In form and feature, face and limb,
I grew so like my brother,
That folks got taking me for him,
And each for one another.
It puzzled all our kith and kin,
It reached an awful pitch;
For one of us was born a twin,
Yet not a soul knew which.
One day (to make the matter worse),
Before our names were fixed,
As we were being washed by nurse
We got completely mixed;
And thus, you see, by Fates decree
(Or rather nurses whim),
My brother John got christened me,
And I got christened him.
This fatal likeness even dogged
My footsteps when at school,
And I was always getting flogged
For John turned out a fool.
I put this question hopelessly
To everyone I knew--What would you do, if you were me,
To prove that you were you?
Our close resemblance turned the tide
Of my domestic life;
For somehow my intended bride
Became my bothers wife.
In short, year after year the same
Absurd mistake went on;
And when I died---the neighbors came
And buried brother John!
Henry S. Leigh

ELDORADO
Gaily bedight,
A gallant knight,
In sunshine and in shadow,
Had journeyed long,
Singing a song,
In search of Eldorado.
But he grew old--This knight so bold--And oer his heart a shadow
Fell as he found
No spot of ground
That looked like Eldorado.
And, as his strength
Failed him at length,
He met a pilgrim shadow--Shadow, said he,
Where can it be--This land of Eldorado?
Over the Mountains
Of the Moon,
Down in the Valley of the Shadow,
Ride, boldly ride,
The shade replied,
If you seek for Eldorado.
EDGAR ALLEN POE

THE DINKEY BIRD

EUGENE FIELD
In an ocean, way out yonder,
(as all sapient people know)
Is the land of Wonder-Wander,
Whither children love to go;
Its their playing, romping, swinging,
That give great joy to me
While the Dinkey-Bird goes singing
In the amfalula tree!
There the gum-drops grow like cherries,
And taffys thick as peas
Caramels you pick like berries
When, and where, and how you please;
Big red sugar-plums are clinging
To the cliffs beside that sea
Where the Dinkey-Bird is singing
In the amfalula tree!
So when children shout and scamper
And make merry all the day,
When theres naught to put a damper
To the ardor of their play;
When I hear their laughter ringing,
Then Im sure as sure can be
That the Dinkey-Bird is singing
In the amfalula tree!
For the Dinkey-Birds bravuras
And staccatos are so sweet
His roulades, appoggiaturas,
And robustos so complete,
That the youth of every nation
Be they near or far away
Have especial delectation
In that gladsome roundelay.
Their eyes grow bright and brighter,
Their lungs begin to crow,
Their hearts get light and lighter,
And their cheeks are all aglow;
For an echo cometh bringing
The news to all and me,
That the Dinkey-Bird is singing
In the amfalula tree.
Im sure you like to go there
To see your feathered friend
And so many goodies grow there
You would like to comprehend!

Speed, little drams, your winging

To that land across the sea
Where the Dinkey-Bird is singing
In the amfalula tree!

BARBARA FRIETCHIE
J o h n G ree n l e a f Wh i t t i e r
Up from the meadows rich with corn,
Clear in the cool September morn,
The clustered spires of Frederick stand
G r e e n - w a l l e d b y t h e h i l l s o f M a r yl a n d ,
Round about them orchards sweep,
Apple and peach tree fruited deep,
Fair as the garden of the Lord
To t h e e y e s o f t h e f a m i s h e d r e b e l h o r d e ,
On that pleasant morn of the early fall
When Lee marched over the mountain-wall
Over the mountains winding down,
Horse and foot, into Frederick town.
Forty flags with their silver stars,
Forty flags with their crimson bars,
Flapped in the morning wind; the sun
Of noon looked down and saw not one.
Up rose old Barbara Frietchie then,
B o w e d w i t h h e r f o u r s c o r e ye a r s a n d t e n ;
Bravest of all in Frederick town,
She took up the flag the men hauled down;
In her attic window the staff she set,
To s h o w t h a t o n e h e a r t w a s l o y a l ye t .
Up the street came the rebel tread,
Stonewall Jackson riding ahead.
Under his slouched hat left and right
He glanced; the old flag met his sight.
Halt! the dust-brown ranks stood fast.
Fire! out blazed the rifle-blast.
I t s h i v e r e d t h e w i n d o w, p a n e a n d s a s h
It rent the banner with seam and gash.

Quick, as it fell, from the broken staff

Dame Barbara snatched the silken scarf.
She leaned far out on the window-sill,
A n d s h o o k i t f o r t h w i t h a r o ya l w i l l .
S h o o t , i f yo u m u s t , t h i s o l d g r a y h e a d ,
B u t s p a r e yo u r c o u n t r y s f l a g , s h e s a i d .
A shade of sadness, a blush of shame,
Over the face of the leader came;
The nobler nature within him stirred
To l i f e a t t h a t w o m a n s d e e d a n d w o r d ;
Who touches a hair of yon gray head
Dies like a dog! March on! he said.
All day long through Frederick street
Sounded the tread of marching feet:
All day long that free flag tossed
Over the heads of the rebel host.
Ever its torn folds rose and fell
On the loyal winds that loved it well;
And through the hill-gaps sunset light
Shone over it with a warm good-night
B a r b a r a F r i e t c h i e s w o r k i s o e r,
And the Rebel rides on his raids no more.
H o n o r t o h e r ! An d l e t a t e a r
F a l l , f o r h e r s a k e , o n S t o n e w a l l s b i e r.
O v e r B a r b a r a F r i e t c h i e s g r a v e ,
F l a g o f F r e e d o m a n d U n i o n , Wav e !
Peace and order and beauty draw
Round thy symbol of light and law;
And ever the stars above look down
On thy stars below in Frederick town!.

Paul Reveres Ride

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Listen my children, and you shall hear
Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere,
On the eighteenth of April, in Seventy- five;
Hardly a man is now alive
Who remembers that famous day and year.
He said to his friend, "If the British march
By land or sea from the town tonight,
Hang a lantern aloft in the belfry arch
Of the North Church tower as a signal light
One, if by land, and two, if by sea;
And I on the opposite shore will be,
Ready to ride and spread the alarm
Through every Middlesex village and farm,
For the country folk to be up and to arm."
Then he said "Good-night!" and with muffled oar
Silently rowed to the Charlestown shore,
Just as the moon rose over the bay,
Where swinging wide at her moorings lay
The Somerset, British man-of-war;
A phantom ship, with each mast and spar
Across the moon like a prison bar,
And a huge black hulk, that was magnified
By its own reflection in the tide.
Meanwhile, his friend, through alley and street,
Wanders and watches, with eager ears,
Till in the silence around him he hears
The muster of men at the barrack door,
The sound of arms, and the tramp of feet,
And the measured tread of the grenadiers,
Marching down to their boats on the shore.

Then he climbed the tower of the Old North Church,

By the wooden stairs, with stealthy tread,
To the belfry-chamber overhead,
And startled the pigeons from their perch
On the somber rafters, that round him made
Masses and moving shapes of shade
By the trembling ladder, steep and tall,
To the highest window in the wall,
Where he paused to listen and look down
A moment on the roofs of the town
And the moonlight flowing over all.
Beneath in the churchyard, lay the dead,
In their night-encampment on the hill,
Wrapped in silence so deep and still
That he could hear, like a sentinel's tread,
The watchful night-wind, as it went
Creeping along from tent to tent,
And seeming to whisper, "All is well!"
A moment only he feels the spell
Of the place and the hour, and the secret dread
Of the lonely belfry and the dead;
For suddenly all his thoughts are bent
On a shadowy something far away,
Where the river widens to meet the bay
A line of black that bends and floats
On the rising tide, like a bridge of boats.
Meanwhile, impatient to mount and ride,
Booted and spurred, with a heavy stride
On the opposite shore walked Paul Revere.
Now he patted his horse's side,
Now he gazed at the landscape far and near,
Then, impetuous, stamped the earth,
And turned and tightened his saddle girth;

But mostly he watched with eager search

The belfry tower of the Old North Church,
As it rose above the graves on the hill,
Lonely and spectral and sombre and still.
And lo! as he looks, on the belfry's height
A glimmer, and then a gleam of light!
He springs to the saddle, the bridle he turns,
But lingers and gazes, till full on his sight
A second lamp in the belfry burns.
A hurry of hoofs in a village street,
A shape in the moonlight, a bulk in the dark,
And beneath, from the pebbles, in passing, a spark
Struck out by a steed flying fearless and fleet;
That was all! And yet, through the gloom and the light,
The fate of a nation was riding that night;
And the spark struck out by that steed, in his flight,
Kindled the land into flame with its heat.
He has left the village and mounted the steep,
And beneath him, tranquil and broad and deep,
Is the Mystic, meeting the ocean tides;
And under the alders that skirt its edge,
Now soft on the sand, now loud on the ledge,
Is heard the tramp of his steed as he rides.
It was twelve by the village clock,
When he crossed the bridge into Medford town.
He heard the crowing of the cock,
And the barking of the farmer's dog,
And felt the damp of the river fog,
That rises after the sun goes down.
It was one by the village clock,
When he galloped into Lexington.
He saw the gilded weathercock
Swim in the moonlight as he passed,
And the meeting-house windows, black and bare,

Gaze at him with a spectral glare,

As if they already stood aghast
At the bloody work they would look upon.
It was two by the village clock,
When he came to the bridge in Concord town.
He heard the bleating of the flock,
And the twitter of birds among the trees,
And felt the breath of the morning breeze
Blowing over the meadow brown.
And one was safe and asleep in his bed
Who at the bridge would be first to fall,
Who that day would be lying dead,
Pierced by a British musket-ball.
You know the rest. In the books you have read
How the British Regulars fired and fled
How the farmers gave them ball for ball,
From behind each fence and farmyard wall,
Chasing the redcoats down the lane,
Then crossing the fields to emerge again
Under the trees at the turn of the road,
And only pausing to fire and load.
So through the night rode Paul Revere;
And so through the night went his cry of alarm
To every Middlesex village and farm
A cry of defiance, and not of fear,
A voice in the darkness, a knock at the door,
And a word that shall echo for evermore!
For, borne on the night-wind of the Past,
Through all our history, to the last,
In the hour of darkness and peril and need,
The people will waken and listen to hear
The hurrying hoof-beats of that steed,
And the midnight message of Paul Revere.

THE EMBARRASSING EPISODE OF LITTLE MISS MUFFET

Guy Wetmore Carryl
Little Miss Muffett discovered a tuffet,
(Which never occurred to the rest of us)
And, as twas a June day, and just about noonday,
She wanted to eatlike the best of us:
Her diet was whey, and I hasten to say
It is wholesome and people grow fat on it.
The spot being lonely, the lady not only
Discovered the tuffet, but sat on it.
A rivulet gabbled beside her and babbled,
As rivulets always are thought to do,
And dragon flies sported around and cavorted,
As poets say dragon flies ought to do;
When, glancing aside for a moment, she spied
A horrible sight that brought fear to her,
A hideous spider was sitting beside her,
And most unavoidably near to her!
Albeit unsightly, this creature politely
Said: Madam, I earnestly vow to you,
Im penitent that I did not bring my hat. I
Should otherwise certainly bow to you.
Though anxious to please, he was so ill at ease
That he lost all his sense of propriety,
And grew to inept that he clumsily stept
In her platewhich is barred in society.
This curious error completed her terror;
She shuddered, and growing much paler, not
Only left tuffet, but dealt him a buffet
Which doubled him up in a sailor knot.
It should be explained that at this he was pained:
He cried: I have vexed you, no doubt of it!
Your fists like a truncheon. Youre still in my luncheon,
Was all that she answered. Get out of it!
And the Moral is this: Be it madam or miss
To whom you have something to say,
You are only absurd when you get in the curd
But youre rude when you get in the whey!

THE STAR SPANGLED

BANNER
By Francis Scott Key
Oh, say can you see by the dawns
early light
What so proudly we hailed at the
twilights last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars
thru the perilous fight,
Oer the ramparts we watched were so
gallantly streaming?
And the rockets red glare, the bombs
bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our
flag was still there.
Oh, say does that star-spangled banner
yet wave
Oer the land of the free and the home
of the brave?
On the shore, dimly seen through the
mists of the deep,
Where the foes haughty host in dread
silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, oer
the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half
discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the
mornings first beam,
In full glory reflected now shines in
the stream:
Tis the star-spangled banner! Oh
long may it wave
Oer the land of the free and the home
of the brave!
And where is that band who so
vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war and the battles
confusion,

A home and a country should leave us no

more!
Their blood has washed out their foul
footsteps pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and
slave
And the star-spangled banner in triumph
doth wave
Oer the land of the free and the home of
the brave!
Oh! Thus be it ever, when freemen shall
stand
Between their loved home and the wars
desolation!
Blest with victory and peace, may the
heavn rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and
preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must, when our cause it
is just,
And this be our motto: In God is our
trust.
And the star-spangled banner in triumph
shall wave
Oer the land of the free and the home of
the brave!

THE INCHCAPE ROCK

No stir in the air, no stir in the sea
The ship was as still as she could be;
Her sails from heaven received no motion;
Her keel was steady in the ocean.
Without either sign or sound of their shock,
The waves flowed over the Inchcape rock;
So little they rose, so little they fell,
They did not move the Inchcape bell.
The holy Abbot of Aberbrothok
Had placed that bell on the Inchcape rock;
On a buoy in the storm it floated and swung
And over the waves it warning rung.
When the rock was hid by the surges swell,
The mariners heard the warning bell;
And then they knew the perilous rock;
And blessed the Abbot of Aberbrothok.
The sun in heaven was shining gay
All things were joyful on that day;
The sea-birds screamed as they wheeled around,
And there way joyance in their sound.
The buoy of the Inchcape bell was seen,
A darker speck on the ocean green;
Sir Ralph, the rover, walked his deck,
And he fixed his eyes on the darker speck.
His eye was on the bell and float;
Quoth he, My men, put out the boat;
And row me to the Inchcape rock,
And Ill plague the priest of Aberbrothok.
The boat is lowered, the boatmen row,
And to the Inchcape rock they go;
Sir Ralph bent over from the boat,
And cut the warning bell from the float.
Down sank the bell with a gurgling sound;
The bubbles rose, and burst around.
Quoth Sir Ralph,
The next who comes to the rock
Will not bless the Abbot of Aberbrothik.
Sir Ralph, the rover, sailed away
He scoured the seas for many aday;
And now, grown rich with plundered store,
He steers his course to Scotlands shore.
So thick a haze oerspreads the sky,
They cannot see the sun on high;
The wind hath blown a gale all day;
At evening it hath died away.
On the deck the rover takes his stand;

So dark it is they see no land.

Quoth Sir Ralph, It will be lighter soon,
For there is the dawn of the rising moon.
Canst hear, said one, the breakers roar?
For yonder, methinks, should be the shore.
Now where we are I cannot tell,
But I wish we could hear the Inchcape bell.
They hear no sound; the swell is strong;
Though the wind hath fallen,
They drift along:
Till the vessel strikes with a shivering shock
O Christ! It is the Inchcape rock!
Sir Ralph, the rover, tore his hair;
He cursed himself in his despair.
The waves rush in on every side;
The ship is sinking beneath the tide.
But ever in his dying fear,
One dreadful sound he seemed to h ear
A sound as if with the Inchcape bell
The Devil below was ringing his knell.
ROBERT SOUTHEY

THE ERIE CANAL

We were forty miles from Albany,
Forget it, I never shall!
What a terrible storm we had one night
On the Erie Canal.
Refrain:
Oh, The Erie was rising,
And gin was getting low,
And I scarcely think well get a drink
Till we get to Buffalo.
The winds began to whistle,
And the waves began to roll,
And we had to reel our royals
On the raging canal.
Refrain:
We were loaded down with barley,
We were chuck up full of rye,
And the captain, he looked at me
With his gol-durn wicked eye.
Refrain:
Two miles out from Syracuse
The vessel struck a shoal,
And we like to all been foundered
On a chunk o Lackawanna coal.
Refrain:
We hollered to the captain
On the towpath, treadin dirt;
He jumped on board and stopped the leak
With his old red flannel shirt.
Refrain:
When we get to Syracuse
The off-mule he was dead,
The nigh mule got blind staggers,
And we cracked him on the head.
Refrain:
The cook she was a grand ol girl,
She had a ragged dress.
We hoisted her upon a pole
As a signal of distress
Refrain:
The captain, he got married,
The cook, she went to jail;
And Im the only son-of-a-gun
Thats left to tell the tail.
Refrain:

MOLLY PITCHER
Kate Brownlee Sherwood

Twas hurry and scurry at Monmouth town,

For Lee was beating a wild retreat;
The British were riding the Yankees down,
And panic was pressing on flying fee.
Galloping down like a hurricane
Washington rode with his sword swung high
Mighty as he of the Trojan plain
Fired by a courage from the sky.
Halt, and stand to your guns! he cried.
And a bombardier made swift reply.
Wheeling his cannon into the tide,
He fell neath the shot of a foeman nigh.
Molly Pitcher sprang to his side,
Fired as she saw her husband do.
Telling the king in his stubborn pride
Women like men to their homes are true.
Washington rode from the bloody fray
Up to the gun that a woman manned.
Molly Pitcher, you saved the day,
He said, as he gave her a heros hand.
He named her sergeant with manly praise,
While her war-brown face was wet with tears
A woman has ever a womans ways,
And the army was wild with cheers.

THE DORCHESTER GIANT

OLIVER WENDELL HOLMES
There was a giant in times of old,
A mighty one was he;
He had a wife, but she was a scold,
So he kept her shut in his mammoth fold;
And he had children three.
It happened to be an election day,
And the giants were choosing a king;
The people were not democrats then,
They did not talk of the rights of men,
And all that sort of thing.
Then the giant took his children three,
And fastened them in the pen;
The children roared; quoth the giant, Be still!
And Dorchester Heights and Milton Hill
Rolled back the sound again.
Then he brought them a pudding stuffed with plums,
As big as the State House dome;
Quoth he, Theres something for you to eat;
So stop your mouths with you lection treat,
And wait till your dad comes home.
So the giant pulled him a chestnut stout,
And whittled the boughs away;
The boys and their mother set up a shout,
Said he, Youre in, and you cant get out,
Bellow as loud as you may.
Off he went, and he growled a tune
As he strode the fields along;
Tis said a buffalo fainted away,
And fell as cold as a lump of clay,
When he heard the giants song.
But whether the storys true or not,
It isnt for me to show;
Theres many a thing thats twice as queer
In somebodys lectures that we hear,
And those are true you know.
What are those lone ones doing now,
The wilfe and the children sad?
Oh, they are in a terrible rout,
Screaming, and throwing their pudding about,
Acting as they were mad.
They flung it over to Roxbury hills,
They flung it over the plain,
And all over Milton and Dorchester too
Great lumps of pudding the giants threw;
They tumbled as thick as rain.
Giant and mammoth have passed away,
For ages have floated by;
The suet is hard as a marrowbone,
And every plum is turned to stone,

But there the puddings lie.

And if, some pleasant afternoon,
Youll ask me out to ride,
The whole of the story I will tell,
And you shall see where the puddings fell,
And pay for the punch beside.

But I go on for ever.

The Brook
BY ALFRED LORD TENNYSON
I come from haunts of coot and hern,
I make a sudden sally,
And sparkle out among the fern,
To bicker down a valley.
By thirty hills I hurry down,
Or slip between the ridges,
By twenty thorps, a little town,
And half a hundred bridges.
I chatter over stony ways
In little sharps and trebles,
I bubble into eddying bays,
I babble on the pebbles.
With many a curve my banks I fret
By many a field and fallow,
And many a fairy foreland set
With willow-weed and mallow.
I chatter, chatter, as I flow
To join the brimming river,
For men may come and men may go,
But I go on for ever.
I wind about and in and out,
With here a blossom sailing,
And here and there a lusty trout,
And here and there a grayling.
And here and there a foamy flake
Upon me, as I travel
With many a silvery waterbreak
Above the golden gravel.
I steal by lawns and grassy plots,
I slide by hazel covers;
I move the sweet forget-me-nots
That grow for happy lovers.
I slip, I slide, I gloom, I glance,
Among my skimming swallows;
I make the netted sunbeam dance
Against my sandy shallows.
I murmur under moon and stars
In brambly wildernesses;
I linger by my singly bars;
I loiter round my cresses;
And out again I curve and flow
To join the brimming river,
For men may come and men may go,

JEST FORE CHRISTMAS

Eugene Field
Father calls me William, sister calls me Will,
Mother calls me Willie, but the fellers call me Bill!
Mightly glad I aint a girlruther be a boy,
Without them sashes, curls, an things thats worn by Fauntleroy!
Love to chawnk green apples an go swimmin in the lake
Hate to take the castor-ile they give for belly-ache!
Most all the time, the whole year round, there aint no flies on me,
But jest fore Christmas Im as good as I kin be!
Got a yeller dog named Sport, sic him on the cat;
First thing she knows she doesnt know where she is at!
Got a clipper sled, an when us kids goes out to slide,
Long comes the grocery cart, an we all hoot a ride!
But sometimes when the grocery man is worrited an cross,
He reaches at us with his whip, an larrups up his hoss,
An then I laff an hollaer, Oh, ye never teched me!
But jest fore Christmas Im as good as I kin be!
Granma says she hopes that when I get to be a man,
Ill be a missionarer like her oldest brother, Dan,
As was et up by the cannibals that lives in Ceylons Isle,
Where every prospeck pleases, an only man is vile!
But Granma she has never been to see a Wild West Show,
Nor read the life of Daniel Boone, or else I guess shed know
That Bufflo Bill an cowboys is good enough for me!
Excep jest fore Christmas, when Im good as I kin be!
And then old Sport he hangs around, so solemn-like an still,
His eyes they keep a-sayin: Whats the matter, little Bill?
The old cat sneaks down off her perch an wonders whats become
Of them two enemies of hern that used to make things jum!
But I am so lerlite an tend so earnestly to biz,
That Mother says to Father: How improved our Willie is!
But Father, havin been a boy hisself, suspicions me
When, jest fore Christmas, Im as good as I kin be!
For Christmas, with it lots an lots of candies, cakes, an toys,
Was made, they say, for proper kids, an not for naughty boys;
So wash yer face an bresh yer hair, an mind yer ps and qs,
An dont bust out yer pantaloons, and dont wear out yer shoes;
Say yessum to the ladies, an yessur to the men,
An when theys company, dont pass yer plate for pie again;
But, thinkin of the things yerd like to see upon that tree,
Jest fore Christmas be as good as yer kin be!

THE SPIDER AND THE FLY

Mary Howitt
Will you walk into my parlor? said the Spider to the Fly,
Tis the prettiest little parlor that ever you did spy;
The way into my parlor is up a winding stair,
And I have many curious things to show when you are
there.
Oh no, no, said the little Fly, to ask me is in vain;
For who goes up your winding stair can neer come down
again.
Im sure you must be weary, dear, with soaring up so high;
Will you rest upon my little bed? said the Spider to the
Fly.
There are pretty curtains drawn around, the sheets are fine
and thin;
And if you like to rest awhile, Ill snugly tuck you in!
Oh no, no, said the little Fly, for Ive often heard it said
They never, never wake again, who sleep upon your bed!
Said the cunning Spider to the Fly, Dear friend, what can I
do
To prove the warm affection Ive always felt for you?
I have within my pantry, good store of all thats nice;
Im sure youre very welcomewill you please take a
slice?
Oh no, no, said the little Fly, kind sir, that cannot be,
Ive heard whats in your pantry, and I do not wish to see!
Sweet creature, said the Spider, youre witty and youre
wise;
How handsome are your gauzy wings, how brilliant are
your eyes!
I have a little looking-glass upon my parlor shelf;
If youll step in one moment, dear, you shall behold
yourself.
I thank you, gentle sir, she said, for what youre pleased
to say,
And bidding you good-morning now, Ill call another day.
The Spider turned him round about, and went into his den,
For well he knew the silly fly would soon come back again;
So he wove a subtle web in a little corner sly,
And set his table ready to dine upon the Fly.
Then he came out to his door again, and merrily did sing,
Come hither, hither, pretty Fly, with the pearl and silver
wing;
Your robes are green and purple, theres a crest upon your
head;
Your eyes are like the diamond bright, but mine are dull as
lead.
Alas, alas! How very soon this silly little Fly,
Hearing his wily, flattering words, came slowly flitting by;
With buzzing wings she hung aloft, then near and nearer
drew,-Thinking only of her brilliant eyes, and green and purple
hue;
Thinking only of her crested headpoor foolish thing! At
last,
Up jumped the cunning Spider, and fiercely held her fast.

He dragged her up his winding stair, into his dismal den

Within his little parlorbut she neer came out again!
And now, dear little children, who may this story read,
To idle, silly, flattering words, I pray you neer give heed;
Unto an evil counselor close heart, and ear, and eye,
And take a lesson from this tale of the Spider and the Fly.

THE QUANGLE WANGLES HAT

On the top of the Crumpetty Tree
The Quangle Wangle sat,
But his face you could not see,
On account of his Beaver Hat.
For his Hat was a hundred and two feet wide,
With ribbons and bibbons on every side
And bells, and buttons, and loops, and lace,
So that nobody every could see the face
Of the Quangle Wangle Quee.
The Quangle Wangle said
To himself on the Crumpetty Tree, --Jam; and jelly; and bread;
Are the best of food for me!
But the longer I live on this Crumpetty Tree
The plainer than ever it seems to me
That very few people come this way
And that life on the whole is far from gay!
Said the Quangle Wangle Quee.
But there came to the Crumpetty Tree,
Mr. And Mrs. Canary;
And they said, -- Did you every see
Any spot so charmingly airy?
May we build a nest on your lovely Hat?
Mr. Quangle Wangle, grant us that!
O please let us come and buld a nest
Of whatever material suits you best,
Mr. Quangle Wangle Quee!
And besides, to the Crumpetty Tree
Came the Stork, the Duck, and the Owl;
The Snail, and the Bumble-Bee,
The Frog, and the Fimble Fowl;
(The Fimble Fowl, with a corkscrew leg;)
And all of them said, -- We humbly beg
We may build out homes on your lovely Hat, -Mr. Quangle Wangle, grant us that!
Mr. Quangle Wangle Quee!
And the Golden Grouse came there,
And the Pobble who has no toes, -And the small Olympian bear, -And the Dong with a luminous nose.
And the Blue Baboon, who played the Flute, -And the Orient Calf from the Land of Tute, -And the Attery Squash, and the Bisky Bat, -All came and built on the lovely Hat
Of the Quantle Wangle Quee.
And the Quangle Wangle said
To himself on the Crumpetty Tree, -When all these creatures move
What a wonderful noise therell be!
And at night by the light of the Mulberry Moon
They danced to the Flute of the Blue Baboon,
On the broad green leaves of the Crumpetty Tree,
And all were as happy as happy could be,

With the Quangle Wangle Quee

SEEIN THINGS
I aint afeard uv snakes, or toads, or bugs, or worms, or mice,
An things at girls are skeered uv I think are awful nice!
Im pretty brace, I guess; an yet I hate to go to bed,
For when Im tucked up warm an snug an when my prayers are said,
Mother tells me, Happy dreams! an takes away the light,
An leaves me lyin all alone an seein things at night!
Sometimes theyre in the corner, sometimes theyre by the door,
Sometimes theyre all a-standin in the middle uv the floor;
Sometimes they are a-sittin down, sometimes theyre walkin round
So softly an so creepylike they never make a sound!
Sometimes they are as black as ink, an other times theyre white --But the color aint no difference when you see things at night!
Once, when I licked a feller at had just moved on our street,
An father sent me up to bed without a bite to eat,
I woke up in the dark an saw things standin in a row,
A-lookin at me cross-eyed an pintin at me so!
Oh, my! I wuz so skeered that time I never slep a mite
Its almost alluz when Im bad I see things at night!
Lucky think I aint a girl, or Id be skeered to death!
Bein Im a boy, I duck my head an hold my breath;
An I am, oh! So sorry Im a naughty boy, an then
I promise to be better an I say my prayers again!
Granma tells me thats the only way to make it right
When a fellar has been wicked an sees things at night!
An so, when other naughty boys would coax me into sin,
I try to skwush the Tempters voice at urges me within;
An when theys pie for supper, or cake ats big an nice,
I want to --- but I do not pass my plate fr them things twice!
No, ruther let starvationa wipe me slowly out o sight
Than I should keep a-livin on an seein things at night!
Eugene Field

The New Vestments

There li ved an ol d m an i n the Ki ngdom of Tess,
W ho invent ed a purel y ori gi nal dress;
And when i t was perfe ct l y m ade and com pl et e,
He opened t he door, and wal ked int o t he st reet .

B y wa y of a hat , hed a l oaf of Brown Bread,

In the mi ddl e of whi ch he insert ed hi s head;
Hi s S hi rt was m ade up of no end of dead Mi ce,
The warm t h of whose ski ns was qui t e fl uffy and ni ce;
Hi s Drawe rs were of R abbit - ski ns; so were hi s S hoes;
Hi s S t ocki ngs were ski ns but i t i s not known whose;
Hi s Wai st coat and Trousers were m ade of Pork Chops;
Hi s But t ons were Jujubes, and C hocol at e Drops;
Hi s C oat was al l P ancakes wit h J am for a border,
And a gi rdl e of Bi scui t s to keep i t i n order;
And he wore over al l , as a screen from bad weat her,
A C loak of gre en C abbage- l eaves st i t ched all t oget he r.

He had wal ked a short way, when he heard a great noi se,
Of al l sort s of Beast i cl es, Bi rdl i ngs, and Bo ys ;
And from ever y l ong st reet and dark l ane i n t he t own
Beast s, Bi rdl es, and Boys i n a tum ul t rushed down.
Two Cows and a hal f at e hi s C abbage - l eaf C l oak;
Four Apes sei z ed hi s Gi rdl e, whi ch vani shed l i ke sm oke;
Three Ki ds at e up hal f of hi s P ancake y C oat ,
And the t ail s were devoured by an anci ent He Goat ;
An arm y of Dogs in a t wi nkl i ng t ore up hi s
P ork Wai st coat and Trousers t o gi ve t o t hei r P uppi es;
And whil e the y were gro wl i ng, and m um bl i ng t he C hops,
Ten Bo ys pri gged t he J uj ubes and Chocol at e Drops.

He t ri ed t o run back t o hi s house, but in vai n,

For S cores of fat Pi gs cam e agai n and agai n;

The y rushed out of st abl es and hovel s and doors,

The y t ore off hi s st ocki ngs, hi s shoes, and hi s drawers;
And now from t he houset ops wi t h scree chi ngs descend,
S t ri ped, spot t ed, whi t e, bl ack, and gra y C at s wi t hout end,
The y j um ped on hi s shoul ders and knocked off hi s hat ,
W hen C rows, Ducks, and Hens m ade a mi ncem eat of t hat ,
The y speedi l y fl ew at hi s sl eeves i n a t ri ce,
And ut t erl y tore up hi s Shi rt of dead Mi ce;
The y swal l owed the l ast of hi s Shi rt wi t h a squal l ,
W hereon he ran hom e wi t h no cl ot hes on at al l .

And he sai d t o him sel f as he bol t ed t he door,

I wi l l not wear a si mi l ar dress an ym o re,
An ym or e, an ym or e, an ym or e, neverm or e!

Edward Le ar

The Walrus and the Carpenter

The sun was shi ni ng on the sea,
S hi ni ng wi t h al l hi s mi ght :
He di d hi s ver y best t o m ake
The bil l ows sm oot h and bri ght
And thi s was odd, because i t was
The mi ddl e of t he ni ght .
The m oon was shi ni ng sul ki l y,
Bec ause she t hought t he sun
Had got no busi ness to be t here
Aft er t he day was done
It s ver y rude of hi m , she sai d,
To com e and spoi l t he fun!
The sea was wet as wet coul d be,
The sands were dr y as dr y.
You coul d not see a cl oud, because
No cl oud was i n t he sk y:

No birds were flying overhead

There were no bi rds t o fl y.
The Wal rus and t he C arpent er
Were wal ki ng cl ose at hand;
The y wept l i ke an yt hi ng el se t o see
S uch quant i t i es of sand:
If t hi s were onl y cl eared awa y,
The y sai d, i t woul d be grand!
If seven m ai ds wi t h seven m ops
S wept i t for hal f a yea r,
Do yo u suppose, t he Wal rus sai d,
That t hey coul d get it cl ear?
I doubt it , sai d t he C arpent er,
And shed a bi t t er t ear.
O Oyst ers, com e and wal k wi t h us!
The Wal rus di d beseech.
A pl easant wal k, a pl easant t al k,
Al ong t he bri n y beach:
We cannot do wit h m ore t han four,
To gi ve a hand t o each.

The el dest O ys t er l ooked at hi m ,

But never a word he sai d:
The el dest O ys t er wi nked hi s e ye ,
And shook hi s heav y head
Meani ng t o say he di d not choose
To l eave t he oyst e r-bed.
But four you ng Oyst ers hurri ed up,
Al l eager for t he t reat :
Thei r coat s were brushed, t hei r faces washed,
Thei r shoes were cl ean and neat
And thi s was odd, because, you know,
The y hadnt any feet .
Four ot her Oyst ers fol l owed t hem
And ye t anot her four;
And thi ck and fast t he y cam e at l ast ,
And more, and m ore, and m ore
Al l hoppi ng t hrough t he frot h y waves,
And scram bl i ng t o the shore.
The Wal rus and t he C arpent er
Wal ked on a mi l e or so,
And then the y rest ed on a rock
C onveni ent l y l ow:
And all t he li t tl e Oyst ers st ood
And wai t ed i n a row.
The t im e has com e, the Wal rus sai d,
To t al k of m any t hi ngs:
Of shoesand shi psand seal i ng- wax
Of cabbagesand ki ngs
And why t he sea i s boi l i ng hot
And whet her pi gs have wi ngs.
But wai t a bi t , t he O ys t er cri ed,
Be fore we have our chat ;
For som e of us are out of breat h,
And all of us are fat !
No hurr y! sai d t he C arpent er.
The y t hanked hi m m uch for t hat .
A l oaf of bread, t he Wal rus sai d,
Is what we chi efl y need:
P epper and vi negar besi des
Are ver y good i ndeed
Now i f yo u re read y, Oyst ers dear,
We can begi n t o feed.

But not on us! t he O ys t ers cri ed,

Turni ng a l i tt l e bl ue.
Aft er such ki ndness, t hat woul d be
A di sm al thi ng t o do!
The ni ght is fi ne, the Wal rus sai d,
Do yo u adm i re the vi ew?
It was so ki nd of you t o com e!
And yo u are ver y ni ce!
The C arpent er sai d not hi ng but
C ut us anot her sli ce:
I wi sh yo u were not quit e so deaf
Iv e had t o ask yo u t wi ce!
It seem s a sham e, t he Wal rus sai d,
To pl a y t hem such a t ri ck,
Aft er weve brought t hem out so far,
And m ade t hem t rot so qui ck!
The C arpent er sai d not hi ng but
The but t er s spread t oo thi ck!
I weep for yo u, the Wal rus sai d:
I deepl y sym pat hi z e.
Wit h sobs and t ears he sort ed out
Those of t he l argest siz e,
Hol di ng hi s pocket - handkerchi ef
Befo re hi s st ream i ng e yes .
O Oyst ers, sai d the C arpent er,
Youve had a pl easant run!
S hal l we be t rott i ng hom e agai n?
But answer cam e t here none
And thi s was scarcel y odd, because
The y d eat en ever y one.

Lewis Carroll

O CAPTAIN!

MY CAPTAIN!

O Captain! my Captain! our fearful trip is done,

The ship has weatherd every rack, the prize we sought is won,
The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting,
While follow e yes the steady keel, the vessel gri m and
daring;
But O heart! heart! heart!
O the bleeding drops of red,
Where on the deck my Captain lies,
Fallen cold and dead.
O Captain! my Captain! rise up and hear the bells;
Rise upfor you the flag is flungfor you the bugle trills,
For you bouquets and ribbond wreathsfor you the shores
a-crowding,
For you the y call, the swa ying mass, their eager faces
turning;
Here, Captain! dear father!
This arm beneath your head!
It is some dream that on the deck,
Youve fallen cold and dead.

M y Captain does not answer, his lips are pale and still,
M y father does not feel my ar m, he has no pulse nor will,
The ship is anchor d safe and sound, its voya ge closed and
done,
From fearful trip the victor ship comes in with object won;
Exult, O shores! and ring, O bells!
But I, with mournful tread,
Walk the deck my Captain lies,
Fallen cold and dead.

Wal t Whi tm an

The Ant-Eater
Some Wealthy folks from U.S.A.,
Who lived near San Francisco Bay,
Possessed an only child called Roy,
A plump and unattractive boyHalf-baked, half-witted and half-boiled,
But worst of all, most dreadfully spoiled.
Whatever Roy desired each day,
His father bought him right awayToy motor-car, electric trains,
The latest model aeroplanes,
A colour television-set
A saxophone, a clarinet,
Expensive teddy-bears that talked,
And animals that walked and squawked.
That house contained sufficient toys
To thrill a half a million boys.
(As well as this, young Roy would choose,
Two pairs a week of brand-new shoes.)
And now he stood there shouting, What
On earth is there I havent got?
How hard to think of something new!
The choices are extremely few!
Then added, as he scratched his ear,
Hold it! Ive got a good idea!
I think the next thing I must get
Should be a most peculiar petThe kind that no one else has gotA giant ANT_EATER! Why not?
As soon as father heard the news,
He quickly wrote to all the zoos,
Dear Sirs, he said, My dear keepers,
Do any of you have ant-eater?
They answered by return of mail.
Our ant-eaters are not for sale.
Undaunted, Roys fond parent hurled
More messages across the world.
He said, Ill pay you through the nose
If you can get me one of those.
At last he found an Indian gent
(He lived near Delhi, in a tent),
Who said that he would sacrifice
His pet for an enormous price
(The price demanded, if you please,
Was fifty thousand gold rupees).
The ant-eater arrived half-dead.
It looked at Roy and softly said,
Im famished. Do you think you could
Please give me just a little food?
A crust of bread, a bit of meat?
I havent had a thing to eat
In all the time I was at sea,
For nobody looked after me.
Roy shouted, No! No bread or meat!

Go find some ants! Theyre what you eat!

The starving creature crawled away.
It searched the garden night and day,
It hunted every inch of ground,
But not one single ant it found
Please give me food! the creature cried.
Go find an ant! the boy replied
By chance upon that very day,
Roys fathers sister came to stay
A foul old hag of eighty-three
Whose name, it seems was Dorothy.
She said to Roy, Come let us sit
Out in the sun and talk a bit.
Roy said, I dont believe youve met
My new and most unusual pet?
He pointed down among the stones
Where something lay, all skin and bones.
Ant-eater! he yelled. Dont lie there yawning!
This is my ant! Come say good-morning!
(Some people in the U.S.A.
Have trouble with the words they say,
However hard they try they cant
Pronounce a simple word like AUNT
Instead of AUNT they call it ANT,
Instead of CANT they call it KANT
Roy yelled, Come here, you so-and-so!
My ant would like to say hello!
Slowly, the creature raised its head.
Dyou mean thats an ant? it said.
Of course! cried Roy. Ant Dorothy!
This ant is over eighty-three.
The creature smiled. Its tummy rumbled.
It licked its starving lips and mumbled,
A giant ant! By gosh, a winner!
At last Ill get a decent dinner!
No matter if its eighty-three
If thats an ant, then its for me!
Then, taking very careful aim,
It pounced upon the startled dame.
It grabbed her firmly by the hair
And ate her up right then and there,
Murmuring as it chewed the feet,
The largest ant Ill ever eat.
Meanwhile, our hero Roy had sped
In terror to the potting-shed,
And tried to make himself obscure
Behind a pile of horse-manure.
But ant-eater came sneaking in
(Already he was much less thin)
And said to Roy, You little squirt.
I think Ill have you for dessert.

Edward Lear

The Little Black-Eyed Rebel

Will Carleton
A boy drove into the city, his wagon loaded down
With food to feed the people of the British-governed
town;
And the little black-eyed rebel, so innocent and sly,
Was watching for his coming from the corner of her eye.
His face looked broad and honest, his hands were brown and tough,
The clothes he wore upon him were homespun, coarse, and rough;
But one there was who watched him, who long time lingered nigh
And cast at him sweet glances from the corner of her eye.
He drove up to the market, he waited in the line;
His apples and potatoes were fresh and fair and fine;
But long and long he waited, and no one came to buy,
Save the black-eyed rebel, watching from the corner of her eye.
Now who will buy my apples? he shouted, long and loud;
And Who wants my potatoes? he repeated to the crowd;
But from all the people round him came no word of a reply,
Save the black-eyed rebel, answering from the corner of her eye.
For she knew that neath the lining of the coat he wore that day,
Were long letters from the husbands and the fathers far away.
Who were fighting for the freedom that they meant to
gain or die;
And a tear like silver glistened in the corner of her eye.
But the treasures how to get them? crept the question through her mind,
Since keen enemies were watching for what prizes they might find;
And she paused a while and pondered, with a pretty little
sigh;
Then resolve crept through her features, and a shrewdness fired her eye.
So she resolutely walked up to the wagon old and red;
May I have a dozen apples for a kiss? she sweetly said:
And the brown face flushed to scarlet; for the boy was somewhat shy.
And he saw her laughing at him from the corner of her eye.

You may have them all for nothing, and more, if you want, quoth he.
I will have them, my good fellow but can pay for them, said she;
And she clambered on the wagon, minding not who all were by.
With a laugh of reckless romping in the corner of her eye.
Clinging round his brawny neck, she clasped her fingers white and small,
And then whispered, Quick! the letters! thrust them underneath my shawl!
Carry back again this package, and be sure that you are spry!
And she sweetly smiled upon him from the corner of her eye.
Loud the motley crowd were laughing at the strange, ungirlish freak
And the boy was scared and panting, and so dashed he could not speak;
And, Miss, I have good apples,: a bolder lad did cry;
But she answered, No, I thank you, from the corner of her eye.
With the news of loved ones absent to the dear friends they would greet,
Searching them who hungered for them, swift she glided through the street.
There is nothing worth the doing that it does not pay to try.
Thought the little black-eyed rebel, with a twinkle in her eye.

The Turtle and Flamingo by James Thomas Fields

A lively young turtle lived down by the banks
Of a dark rolling steam called the Jingo;
And one summer day, as he went out to play,
Fell in love with a charming flamingo
An enormously genteel flamingo!
An expansively crimson flamingo!
A beautiful, bouncing flamingo!
Spake the turtle, in tones like a delicate wheeze:
To the water Ive off seen you in go,
And your form has impressed itself, deep on my shell,
You perfectly modeled flamingo!
You tremendously A-1 flamingo!
You in-exprees-i-ble-flamingo!
To be sure, Im a turtle, and you are a belle,
And my language is not your fine lingo;
But smile on me, tall one, and be my bright flame,
You miraculous, wondrous flamingo!
You blazing beauteous flamingo!
You turtle-absorbing flamingo!
You inflammably gorgeous flamingo!
Then the proud bird blushed redder than ever before,
And that was quite un-nec-es-sa-ry,
And she stood on one leg and looked out of one eye,
The position of things for to vary--This aquatically, musing flamingo!
This dreamy, uncertain flamingo!
This embarrassing, harassing flamingo!
The she cried to the quadruped, greatly amazed:
Why your passion toward me do you hurtle?
Im an omithological wonder of grace,
And youre an illogical turtle,--A waddling, impossible turtle!
A highly improbable turtle!
Then the turtle sneaked off with his nose to the ground
And never more looked at the lasses;
And falling asleep, while indulging his grief,
Was gobbled up whole by Agassiz,--The peripatetic Agassiz!
The turtle dissecting Aggassiz!
The illustrious, industrious Agassiz!
Go with me to Cambridge some cool, pleasant day
And the skeleton lover Ill show you;
Hes in a hard case, but hell look in your face,
Pretending ( the rogue!) he dont know you!
Oh, the deeply deceptive young turtle!
The double-faced glassy-cased turtle!

The green but a very mock turtle!