* 52 *

THE BOY AND THE SHEEP.

"LAZY sheep, pray tell me why
In the pleasant field you lie,
Eating grass and daisies white,
From the morning till the night:
Every thing can something do;
But what kind of use are you?"

"Nay, my little master, nay,
Do not serve me so, I pray

!

Don't you see the wool that grows On my back to make your clothes? Cold, ah, very cold you'd be,

If

you had not wool from me.

"True, it seems a pleasant thing
Nipping daisies in the spring;
But what chilly nights I pass
On the cold and dewy grass,
Or pick my scanty dinner where
All the ground is brown and bare!

"Then the farmer comes at last,
When the merry spring is past,
Cuts my woolly fleece away,
For your coat in wintry day.
Little master, this is why
In the pleasant fields I lie."

ANN TAYLOR.

* 53 *

STARS.

How pretty is each little star,

Each tiny twinkler, soft and meek! Yet many in this world there are

Who do not know that stars can speak.

To them the skies are meaningless,

A star is not a living thing; ́
They cannot hear the messages
Those shining creatures love to bring.

Hush! listen! ah, it will not do ;
You do but listen with your ears;
And stars are understood by few,
For it must be the heart that hears.

Look up, not only with your eyes;
Ah! do you hear a tender sound?
To hearts familiar with the skies,
The stars are nearer than the ground.

POEMS FOR A CHILD.

* 54 *

PERSEVERE.

THE fisher who draws in his net too soon

Won't have any fish to sell:

The child who shuts up its book too soon
Won't learn any lessons well.

1 sluggard, lazy person.

For if you would have your learning stay
Be patient, don't learn too fast:
The man who travels a mile each day
Will get round the world at last.

66

H. W. DULCKEN.- From the German.

* 55 *

THE POND AND THE BROOK.

Neighbor Brook," said the Pond one day, "Why do you flow so fast away?

Sultry June is hastening on,

And then your water will all be gone."

"Nay, my friend," the Brook replied, "Do not thus my conduct chide: Shall I rather hoard1 than give? Better die than useless live."

Summer came, and blazing June
Dried the selfish Pond full soon;
Not a single trace was seen
Where it had so lately been.

But the Brook with vigor flowed
Swift along its pebbly road;
And the fragrant flowers around
Loved to hear its happy sound.

1hoard, store up secretly.

Who made the moon and stars so high,
The darksome1 night to cheer,
That shine so bright in yonder sky,
Oft as the heavens are clear?

Who made the rocks, the hills, the trees, The mountains, and the vales?

The flocks, the herds, the cooling breeze, The stream that never fails?

'Twas God who made this world so fair, The shining sun, the sky, the air; 'Twas God who made the sea, the ground, And all the things I see around.

* 58 *

THE LAMB.

LITTLE Lamb, who made thee?
Dost thou know who made thee?
Gave thee life, and bade thee feed
By the stream and o'er the mead? 2
Gave thee clothing of delight,
Softest clothing, woolly, bright?
Gave thee such a tender voice,
Making all the vales rejoice?

Little Lamb, who made thee?
Dost thou know who made thee?

1 darksome, dark, gloomy

2 mead, meadow, grass-land.

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, God bless thee!

Little Lamb, God bless thee!
W. BLAKE.

* 59 *

TO A REDBREAST.

LITTLE bird, with bosom red,
Welcome to my humble shed;
Daily near my table steal,'
While I pick my scanty meal ;
Doubt not, little though there be,
But I'll cast a crumb to thee,
Well rewarded if I spy

Pleasure in thy glancing eye;

See thee, when thou'st2 eat thy fill,
Plume thy breast, and wipe thy bill.

3

Come, my feathered friend, again!
Well thou know'st the broken pane:
Ask of me thy daily store,
Ever welcome to my door.

1 steal, come quietly.

2 thou'st, thou hast.

J. LANGHORNE.

3 plume, to pick and adjust the feathers.