Verse and Prose for Beginners in Reading Part 10

So he vanish'd from my sight; And I pluck'd a hollow reed,

And I made a rural pen, And I stain'd the water clear, And I wrote my happy songs Every child may joy to hear.

INFANT JOY.

I have no name-- I am but two days old.

What shall I call thee?

I happy am, Joy is my name.-- Sweet joy befall thee!

Pretty joy!

Sweet joy but two days old.

Sweet joy I call thee, Thou dost smile, I sing the while, Sweet joy befall thee!

THE LAMB.

Little lamb, who made thee?

Dost thou know who made thee, Gave thee life and bid thee feed By the stream and o'er the mead; Gave thee clothing of delight, Softest cloth, woolly, bright; Gave thee such a tender voice Making all the vales rejoice; Little lamb, who made thee?

Dost thou know who made thee?

Little lamb, I'll tell thee, Little lamb, I'll tell thee.

He is called by thy name, For He calls himself a Lamb: He is meek and he is mild, He became a little child, I a child and thou a lamb, We are called by His name.

Little lamb, G.o.d bless thee, Little lamb, G.o.d bless thee.

THE LITTLE BOY LOST.

Father! father! where are you going?

Oh, do not walk so fast.

Speak, father speak to your little boy, Or else I shall be lost.

The night was dark, no father was there; The child was wet with dew; The mire was deep and the child did weep, And away the vapor flew.

THE LITTLE BOY FOUND.

The little boy lost in the lonely fen, Led by the wandering light, Began to cry; but G.o.d, ever nigh, Appeared like his father in white;

He kissed the child, and by the hand led, And to his mother brought, Who, in sorrow pale, through the lonely dale, Her little boy weeping sought.

ON THE VOWELS.

We are little airy creatures, All of different voice and features; One of us in gla.s.s is set, One of us you'll find in jet.

T' other you may see in tin, And the fourth a box within.

If the fifth you should pursue, It can never fly from you.

LETTERS.

Every day brings a ship, Every ship brings a word; Well for those who have no fear, Looking seaward well a.s.sured That the word the vessel brings Is the word they wish to hear.

ON A CIRCLE.

I'm up and down, and round about, Yet all the world can't find me out; Though hundreds have employed their leisure, They never yet could find my measure.

I'm found almost in every garden, Nay, in the compa.s.s of a farthing.

There's neither chariot, coach, nor mill, Can move an inch except I will.

ARIEL'S SONG.

Where the bee sucks, there suck I; In a cowslip's bell I lie: There I couch, when owls do cry.

On the bat's back I do fly, After summer, merrily: Merrily, merrily, shall I live now Under the blossom, that hangs on the bough.

PROVERBS AND POPULAR SAYINGS.

Forgive and forget.

Fortune helps them that help themselves.

Give a thief rope enough, and he'll hang himself.

Give him an inch, and he'll take an ell.

Go farther and fare worse.

Good wine needs no bush.

Handsome is that handsome does.

Happy as a king.

Haste makes waste, and waste makes want, and want makes strife between the good-man and his wife.

He cannot say boo to a goose.

He knows on which side his bread is b.u.t.tered.

SONG.

There is dew for the floweret, And honey for the bee, And bowers for the wild bird, And love for you and me.

There are tears for the many, And pleasure for the few; But let the world pa.s.s on, dear, There's love for me and you.