Favorite Childhood Poetry 3

This third and perhaps most important installment which I first enjoyed in a favorite little golden book entitled "A Child's Garden of Verses" by Robert Louis Stevenson, that my dear mother(God rest her soul) would read to me faithfully over and over again, upon my request, until I was able to read it myself. The book contains a great number of wonderful pieces for children, but the following three pieces have been permanently impressed upon my head and heart and are perhaps what has laid the foundation for my love of fantasy and the written word.

The Swing
by Robert Louis Stevenson

How do you like to go up in a swing,
Up in the air so blue?
Oh, I do think it the pleasantest thing
Ever a child can do!

Up in the air and over the wall,
Till I can see so wide,
Rivers and trees and cattle and all
Over the countryside—

Till I look down on the garden green,
Down on the roof so brown—
Up in the air I go flying again,
Up in the air and down!



The Land of Counterpane
by Robert Louis Stevenson

When I was sick and lay a-bed,
I had two pillows at my head,
And all my toys beside me lay
To keep me happy all the day.

And sometimes for an hour or so
I watched my leaden soldiers go,
With different uniforms and drills,
Among the bedclothes, through the hills;

And sometimes sent my ships in fleets
All up and down among the sheets;
Or brought my trees and houses out,
And planted cities all about.

I was the giant great and still
That sits upon the pillow-hill,
And sees before him, dale and plain,
The pleasant land of counterpane.



Bed in Summer
by Robert Louis Stevenson

In winter I get up at night
And dress by yellow candle-light.
In summer quite the other way,
I have to go to bed by day.

I have to go to bed and see
The birds still hopping on the tree,
Or hear the grown-up people's feet
Still going past me in the street.

And does it not seem hard to you,
When all the sky is clear and blue,
And I should like so much to play,
To have to go to bed by day?


To read these and the rest of this wonderful collection of childrens' works by Mr. Stevenson, click the link below.

A Child's Garden of Verses by Robert Louis Stevenson

Enjoy!

-M



Copyright ©2009 Michele Cameron Drew. All Rights Reserved.

1 comments:

Icy BC said...

Hi Michelle,

It's good to hear from you again. I hope you're well..

Post a Comment