Nanny's Ride


Our Nanny oft in fancy

Soared up, the earth above,

And sailed the great air-ocean

With skylark or with dove.



And in this fashion musing,

One sunny summer's day,

Half-watching mother mending

And baby-brother play,



Without a word of warning

The old umbrella came,

Opened upside down before her,

An
whispered soft her name.







"Come, Nanny you've been longing

For a ride, and now's your time:

Jump in,--be quick! And careful, too,

For I'm o'erpast my prime."



So, springing in, she sat there

As happy as you please,

And through the open window,

Was borne upon the breeze.



The sparrows eyed her keenly,

The doves left off their cooing,

And children, cause they couldn't go,

Set up a grand boo-hoo-ing.



She bobbed against a clothes-line,

And all the wash went flying;

The good dame cried, "A witch! a witch!

The saints forefend my drying."



And next she got entangled

In the telegraphic wires;

And when she jerked away from them,

She bumped against the spires.



She hit the tallest chimneys,

And set the smoke a-curling,

Then knocked a flag-pole all awry,

The stars and stripes a-whirling.



Now, far beyond the city,

With mountains in her face,

An eagle pounced to catch her,

But she quickly won the race.







Within a mountain cavelet,

Two baby-bears so young,

Smiled on her as she passed them,

And greetings to her flung.



She heard the thunder rolling.

And saw the lightning's glare,

From clouds away beneath her,

While 'round her all was fair.











She met a cherub driving

A brace of butterflies,

While dancing on a gorgeous one,

Away in wonder-skies.



She saw an angel lighting

The stars up one by one,

As he balanced on a cloudlet

That was left behind the sun.



She heard angelic music,

Far up, the blue along,

And knew 'twas Mary crooning o'er

Her first sweet cradle-song.







She saw such wondrous pictures,

So beautiful and grand,

Such skyscapes and such cloudscapes,

Such waterscapes and land.



But now the fluttering insects

All round her plainly told

That she was nearing Mother Earth

Far o'er the daisy-wold;



And startled at the distance

From home, the baby screaming

And mother still a-mending there,

Told Nanny she'd been dreaming.



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