A ring upon her finger,
Walks the bride,
With the bridegroom tall and handsome
At her side.
A veil upon her forehead
Walks the bride,
With the bridegroom proud and merry
At her side.
Fling flowers beneath the footsteps
Of the bride;
Fling flowers before the bridegroom
At her side.
FERRY ME ACROSS THE WATER
“Ferry me across the water,
Do, boatman, do.”
“If you’ve a penny in your purse
I’ll ferry you.”
“I have a penny in my purse,
And my eyes are blue;
So ferry me across the water,
Do, boatman, do.”
“Step into my ferry-boat,
Be they black or blue,
And for the penny in your purse
I’ll ferry you.”
WHEN A MOUNTING SKYLARK SINGS
When a mounting skylark sings
In the sunlit summer morn,
I know that heaven is up on high,
And on earth are fields of corn.
But when a nightingale sings
In the moonlit summer even,
I know not if earth is merely earth,
Only that heaven is heaven.
WHO HAS SEEN THE WIND?
Who has seen the wind?
Neither I nor you:
But when the leaves hang trembling
The wind is passing thro’.
Who has seen the wind?
Neither you nor I:
But when the trees bow down their heads
The wind is passing by.
THE HORSES OF THE SEA
The horses of the sea
Rear a foaming crest,
But the horses of the land
Serve us the best.
The horses of the land
Munch corn and clover,
While the foaming sea-horses
Toss and turn over.
O SAILOR, COME ASHORE
O sailor, come ashore,
What have you brought for me?
Red coral, white coral,
Coral from the sea.
I did not dig it from the ground,
Nor pluck it from a tree;
Feeble insects made it
In the stormy sea.
A DIAMOND OR A COAL?
A diamond or a coal?
A diamond, if you please:
Who cares about a clumsy coal
Beneath the summer trees?
A diamond or a coal?
A coal, sir, if you please:
One comes to care about the coal
What time the waters freeze.
AN EMERALD IS AS GREEN AS GRASS
An emerald is as green as grass;
A ruby red as blood;
A sapphire shines as blue as heaven;
A flint lies in the mud.
A diamond is a brilliant stone,
To catch the world’s desire;
An opal holds a fiery spark;
But a flint holds fire.
BOATS SAIL ON THE RIVERS
Boats sail on the rivers,
And ships sail on the seas;
But clouds that sail across the sky
Are prettier far than these.
There are bridges on the rivers,
As pretty as you please;
But the bow that bridges heaven,
And overtops the trees,
And builds a road from earth to sky,
Is prettier far than these.
THE LILY HAS A SMOOTH STALK
The lily has a smooth stalk,
Will never hurt your hand;
But the rose upon her briar
Is lady of the land.
There’s sweetness in an apple tree,
And profit in the corn;
But lady of all beauty
Is a rose upon a thorn.
When with moss and honey
She tips her bending briar,
And half unfolds her glowing heart,
She sets the world on fire.
HURT NO LIVING THING
Hurt no living thing:
Ladybird, nor butterfly,
Nor moth with dusty wing,
Nor cricket chirping cheerily,
Nor grasshopper so light of leap,
Nor dancing gnat, nor beetle fat,
Nor harmless worms that creep.
I CAUGHT A LITTLE LADYBIRD
I caught a little ladybird
That flies far away;
I caught a little lady wife
That is both staid and gay.
Come back, my scarlet ladybird,
Back from far away;
I weary of my dolly wife,
My wife that cannot play.
She’s such a senseless wooden thing
She stares the livelong day;
Her wig of gold is stiff and cold
And cannot change to grey.
ALL THE BELLS WERE RINGING
All the bells were ringing
And all the birds were singing,
When Molly sat down crying
For her broken doll:
O you silly Moll!
Sobbing and sighing
For a broken doll,
When all the bells are ringing
And all the birds are singing.
WEE WEE HUSBAND
Wee wee husband,
Give me some money,
I have no comfits,
And I have no honey.
Wee wee wifie,
I have no money,
Milk, nor meat, nor bread to eat,
Comfits, nor honey.
I HAVE A LITTLE HUSBAND
I have a little husband
And he is gone to sea,
The winds that whistle round his ship
Fly home to me.
The winds that sigh about me
Return again to him;
So I would fly, if only I
Were light of limb.
THE DEAR OLD WOMAN IN THE LANE
The dear old woman in the lane
Is sick and sore with pains and aches,
We’ll go to her this afternoon,
And take her tea and eggs and cakes.
We’ll stop to make the kettle boil,
And brew some tea, and set the tray,
And poach an egg, and toast a cake,
And wheel her chair round, if we may.
SWIFT AND SURE THE SWALLOW
Swift and sure the swallow,
Slow and sure the snail:
Slow and sure may miss his way,
Swift and sure may fail.
I DREAMT I CAUGHT A LITTLE OWL
“I dreamt I caught a little owl
And the bird was blue — ”
“But you may hunt for ever
And not find such a one.”
“I dreamt I set a sunflower,
And red as blood it grew — ”
“But such a sunflower never
Bloomed beneath the sun.”
WHAT DOES THE BEE DO?
What does the bee do?
Bring home honey.
And what does Father do?
Bring home money.
And what does Mother do?
Lay out the money.
And what does baby do?
Eat up the honey.
I HAVE A POLL PARROT
I have a Poll parrot,
And Poll is my doll,
And my nurse is Polly,
And my sister Poll.
“Polly!” cried Polly,
“Don’t tear Polly dolly” —
While soft-hearted Poll
Trembled for the doll.
A HOUSE OF CARDS
A house of cards
Is neat and small:
Shake the table,
It must fall.
Find the Cour
t cards
One by one;
Raise it, roof it, —
Now it’s done: —
Shake the table!
That’s the fun.
THE ROSE WITH SUCH A BONNY BLUSH
The rose with such a bonny blush,
What has the rose to blush about?
If it’s the sun that makes her flush,
What’s in the sun to flush about?
THE ROSE THAT BLUSHES ROSY RED
The rose that blushes rosy red,
She must hang her head;
The lily that blows spotless white,
She may stand upright.
OH, FAIR TO SEE
Oh, fair to see
Blossom-laden cherry tree,
Arrayed in sunny white;
An April day’s delight,
Oh, fair to see!
Oh, fair to see
Fruit-laden cherry tree,
With balls of shining red
Decking a leafy head,
Oh, fair to see!
CLEVER LITTLE WILLIE WEE
Clever little Willie wee,
Bright-eyed, blue-eyed little fellow;
Merry little Margery
With her hair all yellow.
Little Willie in his heart
Is a sailor on the sea,
And he often cons a chart
With sister Margery.
THE PEACH TREE ON THE SOUTHERN WALL
The peach tree on the southern wall
Has basked so long beneath the sun,
Her score of peaches great and small
Bloom rosy, every one.
A peach for brothers, one for each,
A peach for you and a peach for me;
But the biggest, rosiest, downiest peach
For Grandmamma with her tea.
A ROSE HAS THORNS AS WELL AS HONEY
A rose has thorns as well as honey,
I’ll not have her for love or money;
An iris grows so straight and fine,
That she shall be no friend of mine;
Snowdrops like the snow would chill me;
Nightshade would caress and kill me;
Crocus like a spear would fright me;
Dragon’s-mouth might bark or bite me;
Convolvulus but blooms to die;
A wind-flower suggests a sigh;
Love-lies-bleeding makes me sad;
And poppy-juice would drive me mad: —
But give me holly, bold and jolly,
Honest, prickly, shining holly;
Pluck me holly leaf and berry
For the day when I make merry.
IS THE MOON TIRED? SHE LOOKS SO PALE
Is the moon tired? she looks so pale
Within her misty veil:
She scales the sky from east to west,
And takes no rest.
Before the coming of the night
The moon shows papery white;
Before the dawning of the day
She fades away.
IF STARS DROPPED OUT OF HEAVEN
If stars dropped out of heaven,
And if flowers took their place,
The sky would still look very fair,
And fair earth’s face.
Winged angels might fly down to us
To pluck the stars,
Be we could only long for flowers
Beyond the cloudy bars.
GOODBYE IN FEAR, GOODBYE IN SORROW
“Goodbye in fear, goodbye in sorrow,
Goodbye, and all in vain,
Never to meet again, my dear — ”
“Never to part again.”
“Goodbye today, goodbye tomorrow,
Goodbye till earth shall wane,
Never to meet again, my dear — ”
“Never to part again.”
IF THE SUN COULD TELL US HALF
If the sun could tell us half
That he hears and sees,
Sometimes he would make us laugh,
Sometimes make us cry:
Think of all the birds that make
Homes among the trees;
Think of cruel boys who take
Birds that cannot fly.
IF THE MOON CAME FROM HEAVEN
If the moon came from heaven,
Talking all the way,
What could she have to tell us,
And what could she say?
“I’ve seen a hundred pretty things,
And seen a hundred gay;
But only think: I peep by night
And do not peep by day!”
O LADY MOON, YOUR HORNS POINT TOWARD THE EAST
O Lady Moon, your horns point toward the east:
Shine, be increased;
O Lady Moon, your horns point toward the west:
Wane, be at rest.
WHAT DO THE STARS DO
What do the stars do
Up in the sky,
Higher than the wind can blow,
Or the clouds can fly?
Each star in its own glory
Circles, circles still;
As it was lit to shine and set,
And do its Maker’s will.
MOTHERLESS BABY AND BABYLESS MOTHER
Motherless baby and babyless mother,
Bring them together to love one another.
CRIMSON CURTAINS ROUND MY MOTHER’S BED
Crimson curtains round my mother’s bed,
Silken soft as may be;
Cool white curtains round about my bed,
For I am but a baby.
BABY LIES SO FAST ASLEEP
Baby lies so fast asleep
That we cannot wake her:
Will the angels clad in white
Fly from heaven to take her?
Baby lies so fast asleep
That no pain can grieve her;
Put a snowdrop in her hand,
Kiss her once and leave her.
I KNOW A BABY, SUCH A BABY
I know a baby, such a baby, —
Round blue eyes and cheeks of pink,
Such an elbow furrowed with dimples,
Such a wrist where creases sink.
“Cuddle and love me, cuddle and love me,”
Crows the mouth of coral pink:
Oh, the bald head, and, oh, the sweet lips,
And, oh, the sleepy eyes that wink!
LULLABY, OH, LULLABY!
Lullaby, oh, lullaby!
Flowers are closed and lambs are sleeping;
Lullaby, oh, lullaby!
Stars are up, the moon is peeping;
Lullaby, oh, lullaby!
While the birds are silence keeping,
(Lullaby, oh, lullaby!)
Sleep, my baby, fall a-sleeping,
Lullaby, oh, lullaby!
LIE A-BED
Lie a-bed,
Sleepy head,
Shut up eyes, bo-peep;
Till daybreak
Never wake: —
Baby, sleep.
BROWNIE, BROWNIE, LET DOWN YOUR MILK
Brownie, Brownie, let down your milk
White as swansdown and smooth as silk,
Fresh as dew and pure as snow:
For I know where the cowslips blow,
And you shall have a cowslip wreath
No sweeter scented than your breath.
STROKE A FLINT, AND THERE IS NOTHING TO ADMIRE
Stroke a flint, and there is nothing to admire:
Strike a flint, and forthwith flash out sparks of fire.
I AM A KING
I am a King,
Or an Emperor rather,
I wear crown-imperial
And prince’s-feather;
Golden-rod is the sceptre
I wield and wag,
And a broad purple flag-flower
Waves for my flag.
Elder the pithy
With old-man and sage,
These are my councillors
Green in old age;
Lord-and-ladie
s in silence
Stand round me and wait,
While gay ragged-robin
Makes bows at my gate.
PLAYING AT BOB CHERRY
Playing at bob cherry
Tom and Nell and Hugh:
Cherry bob! cherry bob!
There’s a bob for you.
Tom bobs a cherry
For gaping snapping Hugh,
While curly-pated Nelly
Snaps at it too.
Look, look, look —
Oh what a sight to see!
The wind is playing cherry bob
With the cherry tree.
BLIND FROM MY BIRTH
Blind from my birth,
Where flowers are springing
I sit on earth
All dark.
Hark! hark!
A lark is singing.
Delphi Complete Poetical Works of Christina Rossetti Page 22