Chapter 1
Produced by Juliet Sutherland, Sankar Viswanathan, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
Dandelions, dandelions, shining through the dew, Let the Kings have Cloth of Gold, but let _us_ have _you_!
CHILD SONGS OF CHEER
BY
EVALEEN STEIN
ILLUSTRATIONS BY
ANTOINETTE INGLIS
BOSTON
LOTHROP, LEE & SHEPARD CO.
Published, August, 1918
COPYRIGHT, 1918, BY LOTHROP, LEE & SHEPARD CO.
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_Dear Children, all the little words These printed pages through, They are a flock of little birds I bring to sing to you.
Sometimes they sing of foolish things, And other times they try To tell their gladness when their wings Soar up to seek the sky.
So, Sweethearts, do but kindly hark! If but a sparrow throng, Or if among them there's a lark, To you their songs belong!_
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Contents
Up, Little Ones!
Dandelions
Our Puppies
The Lost Balloon
The Circus Procession
May-Baskets
The Picture-Book Giant
Did You Ever?
Decoration Day
Chu-Chu Cars
Fairy Rings
The Firefly
A Rain Song
Fairies
The Little Fir-Trees
The Wren-House
The Baby's Ride
An Indian Raid
The First Sleigh-Ride
Sleepy Time
When Bettie and Anne Went Walking
The Bluebird
The Organ-Grinder
The New Moon
Showery Time
Easter Day
The Sandman
Dandelion Curls
Pop-Corn
The Rash Little Sparrow
What If?
Easter Eggs
The Birds' Bath
November Morning
The Runaway
Lost!
The Queen's Page
Our Tree-Toad
In the Water-World
Who Was It?
Visiting Day
A Valentine to Catherine
Fireflies
The Rainy Day
The First Red-Bird
The Weather-Vane
The Swan
Baby's Baking
A Sure Sign
Another Sure Sign
The Robin's Bath
The Frosted Pane
The First Snow
Grandfather Knows
Sleigh-Bells
The Red-Bird
Wild Beasts
Wherefore Wings?
Basking
With a May-Basket for Baby Agnes
The Little Nest
Christmas Candles
A Song of the Christmas-Tree
Our Kittens
In July
A Valentine to a Little Child
Zip!
A Little Carol
Song
The Three Candles
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Illustrations
DANDELIONS
Dandelions, dandelions, shining through the dew, Let the kings have Cloth of Gold, but let _us_ have _you_! _Frontispiece_
FAIRY RINGS
See them dancing, dancing, While the silver moon Tips their swiftly glancing Little silver shoon!
THE BIRDS' BATH
When the sun shines warm and high Robins cluster round its brink
CHRISTMAS CANDLES
We can tell Him of our love If we set a light for Him
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Child Songs of Cheer
UP, LITTLE ONES!
A robin redbreast, fluting there Upon the apple-bough, Is telling all the world how fair Are apple-blossoms now; The honey-dew its sweetness spills From cuckoo-cups, and all The crocuses and daffodils Are drest for festival!
Such pretty things are to be seen, Such pleasant things to do, The April earth it is so green, The April sky so blue, The path from dawn to even-song So joyous is to-day, Up, little ones! and dance along The lilac-scented way!
DANDELIONS
Hey-a-day-a-day, my dear! Dandelion time! Come, and let us make for them a pretty little rhyme!
See the meadows twinkling now, beautiful and bright As the sky when through the blue shine the stars at night!
Once upon a time, folks say, mighty kings of old Met upon a splendid field called "The Cloth of Gold."
But, we wonder, could it be there was ever seen Brighter gold than glitters now in our meadows green?
Dandelions, dandelions, shining through the dew, Let the kings have Cloth of Gold, but let _us_ have _you_!
OUR PUPPIES
Little ears as soft as silk, Little teeth as white as milk, Little noses cool and pink, Little eyes that blink and blink, Little bodies round and fat, Little hearts that pit-a-pat, Surely prettier puppies never Were before nor can be ever!
THE LOST BALLOON
O dear! my purple toy balloon Has flown away! and very soon It will be high up as the moon!
And don't you think the man up there Will wonder what it is, and stare? Perhaps hell say, "_Well, I declare!_"
Or, maybe if it chance there are Some little boys in yonder star, And if it floats away so far,
Perhaps they'll jump up very high And catch the cord as it goes by! At any rate I hope they'll try!
THE CIRCUS PROCESSION
_Oh, hurry! hurry!_ here they come, The band in front with the big bass drum And blaring bugles,--there they are, On golden thrones in a golden car, Tooting and fluting, oh, how grand! Hi diddle, diddle! The fife and the fiddle! _Hurrah, hurrah_ for the circus band!
And the red-plumed horses, oh, see them prance And daintily lift their hoofs and dance, While beautiful ladies with golden curls Are jingling their bridles of gold and pearls, And close behind Come every kind Of animal cages great and small, O how I wonder what's in them all!
Here's one that's open and glaring there Is the shaggiest snow-white polar bear! _Woof!_ but I wonder what we'd do If his bars broke loose right now, don't you? And O dear me! Just look and see That pink-cheeked lady in skirts of gauze And the great big lion with folded paws! O me! O my! I'm glad that I Am not in that lion's cage, because _Suppose he'd open his horrible jaws!_ --But look! the clown is coming! Of course Facing the tail of a spotted horse And shouting out things to make folks laugh, And grinning up at the tall giraffe That placidly paces along and looks Just like giraffes in the picture-books!
And there are the elephants, two and two, Lumbering on as they always do! The men who lead them look so small I wonder the elephants mind at all As they wag their queer Long trunks, and peer Through their beady eyes,--folks say they know No end of things, and I'm sure it's so! And you never must do a thing that's bad Or that possibly might make an elephant mad, For he'll never forgive you, it appears, And will punish you sure, if it takes him _years!_ So do not stare But take good care To mind your manners, and always try To smile politely as they go by!
But the camels don't care if you laugh at them With their bumpy humps like a capital M, They lurch and sway And seem to say, As they wrinkle their noses, long and gray, "This swaggering stride is quite the plan, It's the way we walked in the caravan!"
And now more cages come rumbling by With glittering people throned on high; So many spangles and precious things, They surely must all be queens and kings! They look so proud Above the crowd, O my, how fine it must feel to ride On golden wagons that hide inside Strange animals caught in cannibal isles And brought in ships for a million miles! But hark! it's near The end, for hear That sudden screeching in piercing key! The steaming, screaming _cal-li-o-pe_! Just plain pianos sound terribly tame Beside this one with the wonderful name, And wouldn't you love some day to sit In a circus wagon and play on it?
MAY-BASKETS
Let us take our baskets early To the meadows green, While the wild-flowers still are pearly With the dewdrops' sheen.
Fill them full of blossoms rosy, Violets and gay Cowslips, every pretty posy Welcoming the May.
Then our lovely loads we'll carry Down the village street, On each door, with laughter merry, Hang a basket sweet.
Hey-a-day-day! It is spring now, Lazy folks, awake! See the pretty things we bring now For the May-day's sake!
THE PICTURE-BOOK GIANT
Once there was a fierce, defiant, Greedy, grumpy, grizzly giant In the pages of a picture-book, and he Sometimes screamed, in sudden rages, "I must jump out from these pages, For this life's a much too humdrum one for me! Fiddle-dee! Yes, this life's a quite too quiet one for me!"
So one rainy day he did it, Took the picture-book and hid it, Stamped his foot, and shouting loudly, "Now I'm free!" Boldly started out, forgetting That he could not stand a wetting! He was just a paper giant, don't you see? Dearie me! Just a gaudy, picture giant, don't you see?
DID YOU EVER?
Did you ever see a fairy in a rose-leaf coat and cap Swinging in a cobweb hammock as he napped his noonday nap?
Did you ever see one waken very thirsty and drink up All the honey-dew that glimmered in a golden buttercup?
Did you ever see one fly away on rainbow-twinkling wings? If you did not, why, how comes it that you never see such things?
DECORATION DAY
See the soldiers, little ones! Hark the drummers' beat! See them with their flags and guns Marching down the street!
Tattered flags from out the wars, Let us follow these To the little stripes and stars Twinkling through the trees.
Watch them waving through the grass Where the heroes sleep! Thither gently let us pass On this day we keep.
Let us bring our blossoms, too, All our gardens grow; Lilacs honey-sweet with dew, And the lilies' snow.
Every posy of the May, Every bloomy stem, Every bud that breaks to-day Gather now for them.
Lay the lilies o'er them thus, Lovingly, for so Down they laid their lives for us, Long and long ago.
Heap above them bud and bough; Softly, ere we cease, God, we pray Thee, gently now Fold them in Thy peace!
CHU-CHU CARS
Turn the chairs down in a row Each behind the other, so; _Chu-chu! Chu-chu!_ there they are, Passenger and baggage-car, _Chu-chu-chu!_ the Morris chair Is the engine puffing there, _Chu-chu! Chu-chu! Ting-a-ling!_ Don't you hear its big bell ring? All aboard! Jump on! if you Want to take this train. _Chu-chu!!_ Off we start now, rushing fast Through the fields and valleys, past Noisy cities, over bridges, Hills and plains and mountain ridges, _Chu-chu! Chu-chu! Chu-chu-chu!!_ At such speed it must be true Since we started we have come Most a million miles from home! Jump off, some one! Quick! and go To the pantry, for, you know, We must have the cookie-jar For our Pullman dining-car!
FAIRY RINGS
Softly in the gloaming Flitting through the vale, Fairy folk are roaming Over hill and dale.
Pixies in the hollow, Elves upon the height, Let us follow, follow Through the paling light.
Follow, all unbidden, To the grassy glade Wrapped around and hidden In the forest shade.
Hark the elfin tinkle Of their little lutes! Mark the golden twinkle Of their fairy flutes!
See them dancing, dancing, While the silver moon Tips their swiftly glancing Little silver shoon!
Tripping, tripping lightly, Where their footprints fall, Look! the grass is brightly Growing green and tall!
Springing close, unbroken, In a fairy ring, For to-morrow's token Of their frolicking!
THE FIREFLY
Flash and flicker and fly away, Trailing light as you flutter far, Are you a lamp for the fairies, say? Or a flake of fire from a falling star?
A RAIN SONG
Tinkle, tinkle, Lightly fall On the peach buds, pink and small; Tip the tiny grass, and twinkle On the clover, green and tall.
Tinkle, tinkle,-- Faster now, Little rain-drops, smite and sprinkle Cherry-bloom and apple-bough! Pelt the elms, and show them how You can dash! And splash! splash! splash! While the thunder rolls and mutters, And the lightnings flash and flash! Then eddy into curls Of a million misty swirls, And thread the air with silver, and embroider it with pearls!
And patter, patter, patter To a quicker time, and clatter On the streaming window-pane; Rain, rain, On the leaves, And the eaves, And the turning weather-vane!
Rush in torrents from the tip Of the gable-peak, and drip In the garden-bed, and fill All the cuckoo-cups, and pour More and more In the tulip-bowls, and still Overspill In a crystal tide until Every yellow daffodil Is flooded to its golden rim, and brimming o'er and o'er!
Then as gently as the low Muffled whir of robin wings, Or a sweep of silver strings, Even so, Take your airy April flight Through the merry April light, And melt into a mist of rainy music as you go!
FAIRIES
Grandfather says that sometimes, When stars are twinkling and A new moon shines, there come times When folks see fairy-land!
So when there's next a new moon, I mean to watch all night! Grandfather says a blue moon Is best for fairy light,
And in a peach-bloom, maybe, If I look I shall see A little fairy baby No bigger than a bee!
THE LITTLE FIR-TREES
Hey! little evergreens, Sturdy and strong! Summer and autumn time Hasten along; Harvest the sunbeams, then, Bind them in sheaves, Range them, and change them To tufts of green leaves. Delve in the mellow mold, Far, far below, And so, Little evergreens, grow! Grow, grow! Grow, little evergreens, grow!
Up, up so airily To the blue sky, Lift up your leafy tips Stately and high; Clasp tight your tiny cones, Tawny and brown; By and by, buffeting Rains will pelt down; By and by, bitterly Chill winds will blow; And so, Little evergreens, grow! Grow, grow! Grow, little evergreens, grow!
Gather all uttermost Beauty, because,-- Hark, till I tell it now! How Santa Claus, Out of the northern land, Over the seas, Soon shall come seeking you, Evergreen trees! Seek you with reindeer soon, Over the snow; And so, Little evergreens, grow! Grow, grow! Grow, little evergreens, grow!
What if the maples flare Flaunting and red, You shall wear waxen white Tapers instead! What if now, otherwhere, Birds are beguiled, You shall yet nestle The little Christ-child! Ah! the strange splendor The fir-trees shall know! And so, Little evergreens, grow! Grow, grow! Grow, little evergreens, grow!
THE WREN-HOUSE
Yesterday I took my saw And some bits of wood, And I made a little house Nicely as I could.
I put on a mossy-green Little pointed roof, And I cut a tiny door That is pussy-proof.
For I hope some little wrens To our yard will come And will choose my little house For their little home.
I shall hang it in the boughs Of the apple-tree, And I'm sure as rent for it They will sing to me!
THE BABY'S RIDE
Chee! Chee! Chickadee! Sing-time and sun! Aye, aye, baby-bye, Springtime has begun!
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In the little willow cart, On a downy bed, Pretty parasol of silk Swinging overhead,
Let us go along the lane Where a baby sees Mighty tufts of grass, and weeds Tall as forest trees!
Bluebird on the apple-bough, Sing and sing and sing! Sing your very sweetest now For babyhood and spring!
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"Bah! Bah!" from the pasture, And "Caw! Caw!" from the crow, And bleating from the little calf That has not learned to low.
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Apple-buds, apple-buds breaking apart, The baby looks upward with love-laden gaze; Oh, shower some petals down here in his cart, One honey-sweet cluster of pretty pink sprays!
Apple-buds, apple-buds, scornful and too Vain of your loveliness, stay where you are! The cheeks of the baby are pinker than you, And finer and softer and sweeter by far!
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See the pretty little lambs, How they frisk and play! See their silky fleeces shine White as buds in May!
White as are the fleecy clouds Softly blowing by-- What if they were little lambs Playing in the sky?
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Robin on the peach-bough, Swinging overhead, Sing a little song and say Why is your breast so red?
Why is your voice so sweet, and Your song so merry, say? And wherefore do you spread your wings And quickly fly away?
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Ho, ho! see the queer little prints there That cover the road, baby, look! At the web-footed tangle that hints where The ducks have gone down to the brook!
The Muscovy mammas that waddled Zigzag, you can trace in their tracks, And the dear little ducklings that toddled And tumbled sometimes on their backs!
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Buttercup, buttercup, buttercup gold, O give us a handful of riches to hold!
Ho, ho! laughs the baby, and grasps in his glee His wealth, but soon shows what a spend-thrift is he! --Nay, nay, he is king, though he never was crowned, And royally scatters his gold on the ground!
* * * * *
Bough of the willow-tree Over the brook, Down darts a kingfisher, Look, baby, look!
Back on the willow-bough, Fishing is done; Happy and nappy now There in the sun.
* * * * *
Happy and nappy the baby is, too, Softly his eyelids droop over the blue, Golden his curls on the white pillow lie, Sleep, baby, sleep, baby, hush-a-by-bye.
AN INDIAN RAID
Did you see some Indians passing, Just a short while back? Looks as if they must be massing For a fierce attack!
Buckskin fringes, turkey-feather Huge head-dresses and Bows and arrows, altogether Quite a frightful band!
From the lilac-bushes springing, See them rushing! Ugh! Awful war-whoops wildly ringing! There'll be scalping, too!
In their fearful frenzy leaping, It is very plain Soon around us they'll be heaping Mountains of the slain!
Soon their victims will be falling-- But, above the noise, Hark! I hear somebody calling, "Come to dinner, boys!"
THE FIRST SLEIGH-RIDE
O happy time of fleecy rime And falling flakes, and O The glad surprise in baby eyes That never saw the snow!
Down shining ways the flying sleighs Go jingling by, and see! Beside the gate the horses wait And neigh for you and me!
SLEEPY TIME
Hey, baby! Ho, baby! here upon my knee, See the firelight flicker over you and me!
See the tiny people basking in the glow, Peering through the ruddy little coals, and so
How they dance and scamper! Merry fairy folk! Little sparks for spangles, little wings of smoke!
Come baby, come baby, nestle in my arms; Hear the purring flames now sing their sleepy charms.
All the firelight fairies, all the drowsy elves, In the downy ashes cover up themselves.
And I fold the little blanket over you; Bye baby, my baby, let us slumber too.
WHEN BETTIE AND ANNE WENT WALKING
When they took their dollies walking, They were both so busy talking, (They had not met for half an hour and so had much to say) That they heedlessly kept going Down the shady streets, not knowing, Till they wanted to come back again, they could not find the way!
In their fright they felt forlorner Every time they turned a corner, And they wailed to one another, "Oh, whatever shall we do? A big bear might come to bite us, Or a dreadful dog to fight us, Or the wicked gipsies get us! _Oh, boo-hoo! Boo-hoo! Boo-hoo!_"
But this story, though a sad one, Has an end that's not a bad one, For at last somebody found them as they bade the world good-by; They took their dollies home again, And vowed they'd never roam again, And their mothers hugged and kissed them, saying, "There, my dears, don't cry!"
THE BLUEBIRD
To-day at dawn there twinkled through The pearly mist a flash of blue So dazzling bright I thought the sky Shone through the rifted clouds on high, Till, by and by, A note so honey-sweet I heard, I knew that bright flash was a bird!
THE ORGAN-GRINDER
Hark! I hear the organ-grinder Coming down the street, And the sudden clatter-patter Of the children's feet!
Come, oh, let us run to meet him! Did you ever hear Tunes so gay as he is playing, Or so sweet and clear?
See the brown-faced little monkey, Impudent and bold, With his little scarlet jacket Braided all in gold!
And his tiny cap and tassel Bobbing to and fro, Look, oh, look! he plucks it off now, Bowing very low.
And he's passing it politely-- Can it be for _pay_? O dear me! I have no penny! Let us run away!
THE NEW MOON
Pretty new moon, little new moon, Now, as first I look at you, I must make a wish, for wise folks Say it surely will come true!
Little new moon, pretty new moon, I wish--but I must not tell! For if any one should hear it, Wise folks say it breaks the spell!
SHOWERY TIME
The April rain-drops tinkle In cuckoo-cups of gold, And warm south winds unwrinkle The buds the peach-boughs hold.
In countless fluted creases The little elm-leaves show, While white as carded fleeces The dogwood blossoms blow.
A rosy robe is wrapping The early red-bud trees; But still the haws are napping, Nor heed the honey-bees.
And still in lazy sleeping The apple-buds are bound, But tulip-tips are peeping From out the garden ground.
And yonder, gayly swinging Upon the turning vane, A robin redbreast singing Makes merry at the rain!
EASTER DAY
Christ the Lord is risen to-day! Angels rolled the stone away From the tomb wherein He lay!
Little children, come and sing, "Glory, glory to the King, Christ the Lord of everything!"
THE SANDMAN
The Sandman! hark, I hear him! He's coming up the stair, And everybody near him Is nodding, I declare!
He's peeping in the door now, And first of all he spies, As he has done before now, The little children's eyes!
Then quickly does he throw it, His golden sleepy-sand, And all, before they know it, Are off for sleepy-land!
DANDELION CURLS
Ah, ha, ha, now! who comes here Wreathed in flowers of gold and queer Tiny tangled curls of green Gayly bobbing in between?
Pretty token of the spring! Hark! we hear the bluebirds sing When we thus see little girls Decked in dandelion curls.
POP-CORN
_Pop! Pop!--Poppetty-pop!_ Shake and rattle and rattle and shake The golden grains as they bounce and break To fluffy puffiness--_Poppetty-pop!_ Bursting and banging the popper's top! _Poppetty-pop! Pop! Pop!_