The Mocking-bird
The New World boasts the Mocking-bird
And whether caged or free,
His wondrous voice pours forth in songs
Of rarest melody.
His notes swell out and die away,
As if a joyous soul
Were wrought to highest ecstacy,
All music to control.
His native notes are bold and full,
And then he'll imitate,
Till it would seem the feathered tribe
Were all arrayed in state.
He'll whistle for the dog or cat,
Will squeak like chicken, hurt,
And cluck and crow and bark and mew,
So comical and curt.
While blue-birds warble, swallows scream,
Or hens will cackle clear.
In robin's song, the whip-poor-will
Pours forth his plaint so near.
Canaries, hang-birds, nightingales,
He echoes loud and long;
While they stand silent, mortified,
He triumphs in his song.
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The Busy Bees
Why do the little busy bees So dearly love their queen, And wait upon and pay respect, With watchful care and mien? Because the queen lays all the eggs, And mothers all the young, While every father-bee that's hatched ... The Butter-tree
And, funny enough, There's a Butter-tree, too; Its seeds, when boiled down, Will make butter for you. In India and Africa The Butter-tree grows, With coffee and spices, As every one knows. ... The Camels
The Camels live in desert lands; Their feet are made to walk on sands; They carry burdens far and near, Where neither grass nor trees appear; Where there's no rain, no rivers, brooks, No water anywhere for folks;-- But God has m... The Children's Railroad
Old Time has built a Railroad, On which you children speed To a land of light and plenty, Or a land of darksome need; And soon you'll come to a meadow, Where two tracks mark the way, But they'll run close up alongside F... The Clamberers
All you babies Perched in air, Careful how you Caper there! Careful lest the Little feet Or the little Hands so sweet, Lose their hold And babies fall,-- Careful, careful, Babies all. ... The Clove-tree
And, children, one more, Here's a spicy Clove-tree, Growing forty feet high, Ornamental, you see; The little round drop, Fixed the four prongs between, Forms the blossom or flower, When it's not picked too green. N... The Dandelion Blossom
In the spring when the grass Had sprung up in the pass, And the meadows with velvet were green, We children would tease, "O, dear mother, please Let us doff shoes and stockings, (Ah! naught gave us shockings), ... The Dinner-pot
The homeliest things are highest worth, The dinner-pot's a treasure Compared with diamonds, chains and rings, Which serve alone for pleasure;-- Enwreathe the dinner-pot with flame, And fill it with love's mixings, And it pos... The Elephants
THE ivory for our combs, From elephants' tusks is made; The handles, too for many a knife, And for paper-knives the blade. The elephant knows a friend,-- And well remembers, too, A kindly act, but ne'er forgets The tea... The Fog
"What is the fog, Mamma?" "Sometimes the air is light And cannot bear up all the mists, And then 'tis foggy, quite; But when air heavier grows, The fog is borne above, And floated off, the cloudy stuff,-- Just see it,... The Girls
Three little girls with their sun-bonnets on, Wandered out for a walk in the dew; And they tip-toed about, full of frolic and fun, While their aprons around them they drew. But their little wet feet brought fever and cough, ... The Here There And Everywhere Family
Z I am always in a buzz, Though I'm never in a fret, But I'm ever with a zealot in his zeal; I am in the zephyr-breath, Yet with zest have often met The zero mark that brings the ice-man weal. Y I've to do wi... The Jack-horse
We will ride our Jack-horse All the meadows across; Oh no, do not whip him, But feed him, my dear! A handful of grass In his mouth as we pass, Will make him trot gaily, And give us good cheer! ... The Kitten
ONE, two, (1, 2,) Here's a kitten for you; THREE, four, (3, 4,) She will open the door, FIVE, six, (5, 6,) And your cream she will mix,-- SEVEN, eight, (7, 8,) If you are too late, NINE, ten, (9, 10,) ... The Little Girls' Letter To God
Now Susy's such a naughty dirl, And I ain't any better, And so we thought we just would wite The dear dood Dod a letter. And tell him all about our bad, Betause he'd have to know, Or else he touldn't mate us dood, And... The Little Housewife
This little girl knows how to make A batch of bread, or loaf of cake; She helps to cook potatoes, beets, To boil or bake the fish and meats. She knows to sweep and make a bed, Can hem a handkerchief for Ned; In short, a little hou... The Little Street-sweeper
Look at that little girl sweeping the crossing; See how the mud her bare legs is embossing! And her feet are so slippered with mud, that it seems As though from the ground she grew up 'mongst the teams; And why she's not run over surely... The Mammoth Cave
"WHAT is the Mammoth Cave?" I hear the Children say, Where fishes have no eyes nor sight, And where 'tis dark by day? You all have seen a ledge Of big rocks piled, or stone?-- Now just suppose a door-way made, Or entr... The Meadow Quails
Over in the meadow where the men make hay, In an elm-tree shadow on a bright summer day, Two speckled quails ponder as to what will be best, Should the stout mower blunder on their pretty home-nest. But a cloud in a minute from her gr... The Mocking-bird
The New World boasts the Mocking-bird And whether caged or free, His wondrous voice pours forth in songs Of rarest melody. His notes swell out and die away, As if a joyous soul Were wrought to highest ecstacy, All mus... The New Book
COCK-A-DOODLE-DOO, A picture-book for you,-- Keep it nice, and in a trice Sing Cock-a-doodle-doo. ... The New White Jattet
I never seen such naughty dirls As Susy Jones and Ellen; They laughed, O desht as hard's they tould When I twipped up and fell in The old toal-hole. And see, mamma, I tore my new white jattet; And when I twied, they laughed ... The Oxen
The oxen are such clever beasts, They'll drag the plough all day; They're very strong and tug along Great loads of wood or hay. They feed on grass, when green or dry; Their flesh is beef, for food; Their lungs are "lights,... The Phoebe's Nest In The Old Well-wheel
"Phoe-be, phoe-be," why, 'tis a little bird, "Phoe-be, phoe-be," singing the pretty word; "Phoe-be, phoe-be," brown feathers cover him, Gray breast, with blackish stripes scattered all over him. "Phoe-be, phoe-be," here comes his litt... The Pony
Once 2 is 2, Here's a pony for you; Two 2s are 4, But be careful the more,-- THREE 2s are 6, For perhaps pony kicks; FOUR 2s are 8, And if so we must wait, FIVE 2s are 10, Till he's trained by the me... The Poor Little Chick-a-dees
TEN little chick-a-dees clinging to a vine,-- A speckled snake charmed one, then there were but NINE. NINE little chick-a-dees,--one without a mate,-- A Sparrow-hawk caught one, then there were but EIGHT. EIGHT little chick-a de... The Raccoon
Come, child, and see our pet Raccoon,-- The Raccoons live in the woods, you know; But ours was caught, And caged, and brought From old Virginia, long ago. Oh, no, you need not be afraid. See, he is fastened with a chain;... The Race
A hop, a skip, and a gambol, A run, a tumble, a scramble, An up-and-a-going, A laughing-and-crowing, A weal-and-a-woe-ing,-- Yes, a race for a ball Or a toy we may call, This race that is human,-- For child, man, or woman, ... The Rain
Come, rain, come, That the water may run, That the meadow grass may grow; That the fruit and grain O'er hill and plain, May greet us as we go. Come, rain, come, That the water may run, That the mill may make ou... The Rain
"What makes the rain, Mamma?" "The mists and vapors rise From land and stream and rolling sea, Up toward the distant skies; And there they form the clouds, Which, when they're watery, dear, Pour all the water down to earth, ... The Rattle Of The Bones
How many bones in the human face? FOURTEEN, when they're all in place. How many bones in the human head? EIGHT, my child, as I've often said. How many bones in the human ear? THREE in each; and they help to hear. [Footnote: St... The Six Sisters
ONE of us e'er lives in dates, One in every peach awaits; One in pine-apple is found, One in orange, bright and round, One in plum, so luscious sweet, And our last in strawberry--treat. ... The Snow
"What makes the Snow, Mamma?" "When very cold above, The mists are frozen high in air, And fall as snow, my love." "And Hail?" "Tis formed the same; Cold streams of air have come And frozen all the water-drops, An... The Snowball
Have ever you seen how a wee bit of snow, To a big bouncing ball, just by rolling, will grow? 'Tis thus our wee sins, children, let to roll on, Will grow big, bigger, biggest, till Satan has won. ... The Speech Family
The name of everything we know, as slate, or book, or toy, Is called a Noun. All names are nouns; remember this, my boy. A word that means to be, to act, or to be acted on, Is called a Verb; as is, or eat, or sing; or he is g... The Stop Family
"I'm a dot with a quirk," whispers little Miss Comma, "And you'll please not to pause long for me." "I'm a dot over Comma," says Miss Semicolon, "And you'll pause twice as long where I be." "I am dot over dot," Master Colon speaks... The Sugar-pine
Then, too, my dear children, The sweet Sugar-pine, On Pacific's wild coast, In our own soil we find; Cut or scoop out the trunk, And the juices ooze forth, And harden, for sugar, Like icicles, North. * * * * * ... The Tea-party
Ah! little ones, I'm sure there's not A drop of tea in your weeny pot. For water bright and milk so pure, Alone will bring you health, be sure; And health is beauty, health is cheer, Health is happiness so dear. ...