Delphi Complete Poetical Works of Christina Rossetti

by Christina Rossetti

  A TOADSTOOL COMES UP IN A NIGHT

  A POCKET HANDKERCHIEF TO HEM

  IF A PIG WORE A WIG

  SELDOM “CAN’T,”

  1 AND 1 ARE 2

  HOW MANY SECONDS IN A MINUTE?

  WHAT WILL YOU GIVE ME FOR MY POUND?

  JANUARY COLD DESOLATE

  WHAT IS PINK? A ROSE IS PINK

  MOTHER SHAKE THE CHERRY-TREE

  A PIN HAS A HEAD, BUT HAS NO HAIR

  HOPPING FROG, HOP HERE AND BE SEEN

  WHERE INNOCENT BRIGHT-EYED DAISIES ARE

  THE CITY MOUSE LIVES IN A HOUSE

  WHAT DOES THE DONKEY BRAY ABOUT

  THREE PLUM BUNS

  A MOTHERLESS SOFT LAMBKIN

  DANCING ON THE HILL-TOPS

  WHEN FISHES SET UMBRELLAS UP

  THE PEACOCK HAS A SCORE OF EYES

  PUSSY HAS A WHISKERED FACE

  THE DOG LIES IN HIS KENNEL

  IF HOPE GREW ON A BUSH

  I PLANTED A HAND

  UNDER THE IVY BUSH

  THERE IS ONE THAT HAS A HEAD WITHOUT AN EYE

  IF A MOUSE COULD FLY

  SING ME A SONG

  THE LILY HAS AN AIR

  MARGARET HAS A MILKING-PAIL

  IN THE MEADOW — WHAT IN THE MEADOW?

  A FRISKY LAMB

  MIX A PANCAKE

  THE WIND HAS SUCH A RAINY SOUND

  THREE LITTLE CHILDREN

  FLY AWAY, FLY AWAY OVER THE SEA

  MINNIE BAKES OATEN CAKES

  A WHITE HEN SITTING

  CURRANTS ON A BUSH

  I HAVE BUT ONE ROSE IN THE WORLD

  ROSY MAIDEN WINIFRED

  WHEN THE COWS COME HOME THE MILK IS COMING

  ROSES BLUSHING RED AND WHITE

  DING A DING

  A RING UPON HER FINGER

  FERRY ME ACROSS THE WATER

  WHEN A MOUNTING SKYLARK SINGS

  WHO HAS SEEN THE WIND?

  THE HORSES OF THE SEA

  O SAILOR, COME ASHORE

  A DIAMOND OR A COAL?

  AN EMERALD IS AS GREEN AS GRASS

  BOATS SAIL ON THE RIVERS

  THE LILY HAS A SMOOTH STALK

  HURT NO LIVING THING

  I CAUGHT A LITTLE LADYBIRD

  ALL THE BELLS WERE RINGING

  WEE WEE HUSBAND

  I HAVE A LITTLE HUSBAND

  THE DEAR OLD WOMAN IN THE LANE

  SWIFT AND SURE THE SWALLOW

  I DREAMT I CAUGHT A LITTLE OWL

  WHAT DOES THE BEE DO?

  I HAVE A POLL PARROT

  A HOUSE OF CARDS

  THE ROSE WITH SUCH A BONNY BLUSH

  THE ROSE THAT BLUSHES ROSY RED

  OH, FAIR TO SEE

  CLEVER LITTLE WILLIE WEE

  THE PEACH TREE ON THE SOUTHERN WALL

  A ROSE HAS THORNS AS WELL AS HONEY

  IS THE MOON TIRED? SHE LOOKS SO PALE

  IF STARS DROPPED OUT OF HEAVEN

  GOODBYE IN FEAR, GOODBYE IN SORROW

  IF THE SUN COULD TELL US HALF

  IF THE MOON CAME FROM HEAVEN

  O LADY MOON, YOUR HORNS POINT TOWARD THE EAST

  WHAT DO THE STARS DO

  MOTHERLESS BABY AND BABYLESS MOTHER

  CRIMSON CURTAINS ROUND MY MOTHER’S BED

  BABY LIES SO FAST ASLEEP

  I KNOW A BABY, SUCH A BABY

  LULLABY, OH, LULLABY!

  LIE A-BED

  BROWNIE, BROWNIE, LET DOWN YOUR MILK

  STROKE A FLINT, AND THERE IS NOTHING TO ADMIRE

  I AM A KING

  PLAYING AT BOB CHERRY

  BLIND FROM MY BIRTH

  ANGELS AT THE FOOT

  Angels at the foot,

  And Angels at the head,

  And like a curly little lamb

  My pretty babe in bed.

  LOVE ME, — I LOVE YOU

  Love me, — I love you,

  Love me, my baby;

  Sing it high, sing it low,

  Sing it as may be.

  Mother’s arms under you,

  Her eyes above you;

  Sing it high, sing it low,

  Love me — I love you.

  MY BABY HAS A FATHER AND A MOTHER

  My baby has a father and a mother,

  Rich little baby!

  Fatherless, motherless, I know another

  Forlorn as may be:

  Poor little baby!

  OUR LITTLE BABY FELL ASLEEP

  Our little baby fell asleep,

  And may not wake again

  For days and days, and weeks and weeks;

  But then he’ll wake again,

  And come with his own pretty look,

  And kiss Mamma again.

  KOOKOOROOKOO! KOOKOOROOKOO!

  “Kookoorookoo! kookoorookoo!”

  Crows the cock before the morn;

  “Kikirikee! kikirikee!”

  Roses in the east are born.

  “Kookoorookoo! kookoorookoo!”

  Early birds begin their singing;

  “Kikirikee! kikirikee!”

  The day, the day, the day is springing.

  BABY CRY

  Baby cry, —

  Oh fie! —

  At the physic in the cup:

  Gulp it twice

  And gulp it thrice,

  Baby gulp it up.

  EIGHT O’CLOCK

  Eight o’clock;

  The postman’s knock!

  Five letters for Papa;

  One for Lou,

  And none for you,

  And three for dear Mamma.

  BREAD AND MILK FOR BREAKFAST

  Bread and milk for breakfast,

  And woolen frocks to wear,

  And a crumb for robin redbreast

  On the cold days of the year.

  THERE’S SNOW ON THE FIELDS

  There’s snow on the fields,

  And cold in the cottage,

  While I sit in the chimney nook

  Supping hot pottage.

  My clothes are soft and warm,

  Fold upon fold,

  But I’m so sorry for the poor

  Out in the cold.

  DEAD IN THE COLD, A SONG-SINGING THRUSH

  Dead in the cold, a song-singing thrush,

  Dead at the foot of a snowberry bush, —

  Weave him a coffin of rush,

  Dig him a grave where the soft mosses grow,

  Raise him a tombstone of snow.

  I DUG AND DUG AMONGST THE SNOW

  I dug and dug amongst the snow,

  And thought the flowers would never grow;

  I dug and dug amongst the sand,

  And still no green thing came to hand.

  Melt, O snow! the warm winds blow

  To thaw the flowers and melt the snow;

  But all the winds from every land

  Will rear no blossom from the sand.

  A CITY PLUM IS NOT A PLUM

  A city plum is not a plum;

  A dumb-bell is no bell, though dumb;

  A party rat is not a rat;

  A sailor’s cat is not a cat;

  A soldier’s frog is not a frog;

  A captain’s log is not a log.

  YOUR BROTHER HAS A FALCON

  Your brother has a falcon,

  Your sister has a flower;

  But what is left for mannikin,

  Born within a hour?

  I’ll nurse you on my knee, my knee,

  My own little son;

  I’ll rock you, rock you, in my arms,

  My least little one.

  HEAR WHAT THE MOURNFUL LINNETS SAY

  Hear what the mournful linnets say:

  “We built our nest compact and warm,

  But cruel boys came round our way

  And took our summerhouse by storm.

  “They crushed the eggs so neatly laid;

  So now we sit with drooping wing,

  And watch the ruin they have made,

  Too late to build, too sad to sing.”

&
nbsp; A BABY’S CRADLE WITH NO BABY IN IT

  A baby’s cradle with no baby in it,

  A baby’s grave where autumn leaves drop sere;

  The sweet soul gathered home to Paradise,

  The body waiting here.

  HOP-O’-MY-THUMB AND LITTLE JACK HORNER

  Hop-o’-my-thumb and little Jack Horner,

  What do you mean by tearing and fighting?

  Sturdy dog Trot close round the corner,

  I never caught him growling and biting.

  HOPE IS LIKE A HAREBELL TREMBLING FROM ITS BIRTH

  Hope is like a harebell trembling from its birth,

  Love is like a rose the joy of all the earth;

  Faith is like a lily lifted high and white,

  Love is like a lovely rose the world’s delight;

  Harebells and sweet lilies show a thornless growth,

  But the rose with all its thorns excels them both.

  O WIND, WHY DO YOU NEVER REST

  O wind, why do you never rest

  Wandering, whistling to and fro,

  Bringing rain out of the west,

  From the dim north bringing snow?

  CRYING, MY LITTLE ONE, FOOTSORE AND WEARY?

  Crying, my little one, footsore and weary?

  Fall asleep, pretty one, warm on my shoulder:

  I must tramp on through the winter night dreary,

  While the snow falls on me colder and colder.

  You are my one, and I have not another;

  Sleep soft, my darling, my trouble and treasure;

  Sleep warm and soft in the arms of your mother,

  Dreaming of pretty things, dreaming of pleasure.

  GROWING IN THE VALE

  Growing in the vale

  By the uplands hilly,

  Growing straight and frail,

  Lady Daffadowndilly.

  In a golden crown,

  And a scant green gown

  While the spring blows chilly,

  Lady Daffadown,

  Sweet Daffadowndilly.

  A LINNET IN A GILDED CAGE

  A linnet in a gilded cage, —

  A linnet on a bough, —

  In frosty winter one might doubt

  Which bird is luckier now.

  But let the trees burst out in leaf,

  And nests be on the bough,

  Which linnet is the luckier bird,

  Oh who could doubt it now?

  WRENS AND ROBINS IN THE HEDGE

  Wrens and robins in the hedge,

  Wrens and robins here and there;

  Building, perching, pecking, fluttering,

  Everywhere!

  MY BABY HAS A MOTTLED FIST

  My baby has a mottled fist,

  My baby has a neck in creases;

  My baby kisses and is kissed,

  For he’s the very thing for kisses.

  WHY DID BABY DIE

  Why did baby die,

  Making Father sigh,

  Mother cry?

  Flowers, that bloom to die,

  Make no reply

  Of “why?”

  But bow and die.

  IF ALL WERE RAIN AND NEVER SUN

  If all were rain and never sun,

  No bow could span the hill;

  If all were sun and never rain,

  There’d be no rainbow still.

  O WIND, WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN

  O wind, where have you been,

  That you blow so sweet?

  Among the violets

  Which blossom at your feet.

  The honeysuckle waits

  For Summer and for heat.

  But violets in the chilly Spring

  Make the turf so sweet.

  ON THE GRASSY BANKS

  On the grassy banks

  Lambkins at their pranks;

  Woolly sisters, woolly brothers

  Jumping off their feet

  While their woolly mothers

  Watch by them and bleat.

  RUSHES IN A WATERY PLACE

  Rushes in a watery place,

  And reeds in a hollow;

  A soaring skylark in the sky,

  A darting swallow;

  And where pale blossom used to hang

  Ripe fruit to follow.

  MINNIE AND MATTIE

  Minnie and Mattie

  And fat little May,

  Out in the country,

  Spending a day.

  Such a bright day,

  With the sun glowing,

  And the trees half in leaf,

  And the grass growing.

  Pinky white pigling

  Squeals through his snout,

  Woolly white lambkin

  Frisks all about.

  Cluck! cluck! the nursing hen

  Summons her folk, —

  Ducklings all downy soft

  Yellow as yolk.

  Cluck! cluck! the mother hen

  Summons her chickens

  To peck the dainty bits

  Found in her pickings.

  Minnie and Mattie

  And May carry posies,

  Half of sweet violets,

  Half of primroses.

  Give the sun time enough,

  Glowing and glowing,

  He’ll rouse the roses

  And bring them blowing.

  Don’t wait for roses

  Losing today,

  O Minnie, Mattie,

  And wise little May.

  Violets and primroses

  Blossom today

  For Minnie and Mattie

  And fat little May.

  HEARTSEASE IN MY GARDEN BED

  Heartsease in my garden bed,

  With sweetwilliam white and red,

  Honeysuckle on my wall: —

  Heartsease blossoms in my heart

  When sweet William comes to call,

  But it withers when we part,

  And the honey-trumpets fall.

  IF I WERE A QUEEN

  If I were a Queen,

  What would I do?

  I’d make you King,

  And I’d wait on you.

  If I were a King,

  What would I do?

  I’d make you Queen,

  For I’d marry you.

  WHAT ARE HEAVY? SEA-SAND AND SORROW

  What are heavy? sea-sand and sorrow:

  What are brief? today and tomorrow:

  What are frail? Spring blossoms and youth:

  What are deep? the ocean and truth.

  THERE IS BUT ONE MAY IN THE YEAR

  There is but one May in the year,

  And sometimes May is wet and cold;

  There is but one May in the year

  Before the year grows old.

  Yet though it be the chilliest May,

  With least of sun and most of showers,

  Its wind and dew, its night and day,

  Bring up the flowers.

  THE SUMMER NIGHTS ARE SHORT

  The summer nights are short

  Where northern days are long:

  For hours and hours lark after lark

  Trills out his song.

  The summer days are short

  Where southern nights are long:

  Yet short the night when nightingales

  Trill out their song.

  THE DAYS ARE CLEAR

  The days are clear,

  Day after day,

  When April’s here,

  That leads to May,

  And June

  Must follow soon:

  Stay, June, stay! —

  If only we could stop the moon

  And June!

  TWIST ME A CROWN OF WIND-FLOWERS

  Twist me a crown of wind-flowers;

  That I may fly away

  To hear the singers at their song,

  And players at their play.

  Put on your crown of wind-flowers:

  But whither would you go?

  Beyond the surging of the sea

  And the stor
ms that blow.

  Alas! your crown of wind-flowers

  Can never make you fly:

  I twist them in a crown today,

  And tonight they die.

  BROWN AND FURRY

  Brown and furry

  Caterpillar in a hurry,

  Take your walk

  To the shady leaf, or stalk,

  Or what not,

  Which may be the chosen spot.

  No toad spy you,

  Hovering bird of prey pass by you;

  Spin and die,

  To live again a butterfly.

  A TOADSTOOL COMES UP IN A NIGHT

  A toadstool comes up in a night, —

  Learn the lesson, little folk: —

  An oak grows on a hundred years,

  But then it is an oak.

  A POCKET HANDKERCHIEF TO HEM

  A pocket handkerchief to hem —

  Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear!

  How many stitches it will take

  Before it’s done, I fear.

  Yet set a stitch and then a stitch,

  And stitch and stitch away,

  Till stitch by stitch the hem is done —

  And after work is play!