3.6. Poems

Poems by Anonymous Authors

1. Swift the moments fly away,

First the hour, and then the day;

Next the week, the month, the year

Go away and disappear.

Time is always on the wing.

When I speak, or think, or sing;

When I work, or sleep, or play,

Time is flying fast away.

2. Such lovely things to hear and see

Belong to you, belong to me!

The sun, the trees, the grass, the sky,

The silver moon that’s sailing by.

Soft whispering winds, the birds that sing,

Bright autumn leaves, gay flowers, of spring,

The rain and dew and snow-flakes white,

The sparkling waves, the stars of night

3. Rain, rain, rain, April ram,

You are feeding seed and grain,

You are raising plants and drops;

With your gaily sparkling drops.

4. Let us make a merry ring,

Talk and laugh, and dance, and sing!

Quickly, quickly, come away,

For it is a pleasant day.

5. I live here,

You live near,

Tom lives so far

That he goes in a car.

We live near

You live here,

Tom and Ray

Live far away.

6. Molly, my sister, and fell out

And what do you think it was alt about?

She loved coffee and I loved tea,

And that was the reason we couldn't agree.

7. One, one, one, Three, three, three,

Little dogs run. Birds on a tree.

Two, two, two, Four, fiour, four,

Cats see you. Rats on the floor.

8. Now will you count to two?

Count to three just like me:

One, two, three!

Count to eight, don't be late!

Count to nine, that is fine!

And we then count to ten.

9. Fifths are hard to say...

A nimble tongue they need.

And sixths, and sevenths,

And eighths, and ninths

Are very hard indeed.

10. "Little Cat, little Cat,

As you sat on the mat,

Did you dream of a mouse,

Or a great rat?"

“Oh, no! Not so!

For 1 always dream

Of a dish full of fish

And a bowl full of bream."

11. A Dictionary's where you can look things up

To see if they are really there:

To see if what you breathe is Air,

If what you sit on is a Chair,

If what you comb is curly Hair

If what you drink from is a Cup.

A Dictionary's where you can look things up

To see if they are really there.

LITTLE ROBIN REDBREAST

Little Robin Redbreast sat upon a tree,

Up went Pussy-cat and down went he;

Down came Pussy-cat and away Robin ran;

Said little Robin Redbreast, "Catch me if you can!"

Little Robin Redbreast jumped upon a wall;

Pussy-cat jumped after him, and almost had a fall.

Little Robin chirped and sang, and what did Pussy say?

Pussy-cat said "Mew" and Robin jumped away.

FOR WANT OF A NAIL

For want of a nail, the shoe was lost,

For want of the shoe, the horse was lost,

For want of the horse, the rider was lost,

For want of the rider, the battle was lost,

For want of the battle, the kingdom was lost,

And all for the want of a horse-shoe nail.

Every thing looks very grey,

In rain, rain, rain,

I love to see it hit the ground

And then bounce up again.

Good, better, best,

Never rest,

Till good be better

And better best.

"Tick", the clock says, "Tick, tick, tick",

What you have to do, do quick,

Time is gliding fast away

Let us act and act today.

The moments fly — a minute's gone,

The minutes fly — an hour is run,

The day is fled — the night is here,

Thus flies a week, a month, a year.

One, two, three, four,

Mary at the cottage door,

Five, six, seven, eight,

Eating cherries off a plate.

Hickory, Dickory Dock

The mouse ran up the clock,

The clock struck one,

The mouse ran down,

Hickory, Dickory Dock.

Diddle, Diddle, Dumpling, my son John,

Went to bed with his trousers on;

One shoe off and one shoe on,

Diddle, Diddle, Dumpling, my son John.

Hey diddle, diddle,

The cat and the fiddle,

The cow jumped over, the moon;

The little dog laughed

To see such sport,

And dish ran away with the spoon.

Old Mother Hubboard

Went to the cupboard,

To get her poor doggy a bone;

But when she got there,

The cupboard was bare,

And so the poor doggy got none.

Goosey, goosey gander,

Where do you wander?

Upstairs and downstairs,

And in my lady's chamber,

Where I met an old man,

Who wouldn't say his prayers —

I took him by the left leg,

And threw him down the stairs.

Little boy blue,

Come blow your horn;

The sheep's in the meadow,

The cow's in the corn.

Where is the boy

Who looks after the sheep?

He's under the haystack,

Fast asleep.

THE ARROW AND THE SONG

(by H. W. Longfellow)

I shot an arrow into the air,

It fell to earth, I knew not where,

For so swiftly it flew, the sight

Could not follow it in its flight.

I breathed a song into the air,

It fell to earth, I knew not where,

For who has sight so keen and strong,

That it can follow the flight of a song?

Long, long afterwards in an oak

I found the arrow, still unbroken;

And the song, from beginning to end,

I found again in the heart of a friend.

TWILIGHT

(by G. G. Byron)

It is the hour when from the boughs

The nightingale's high note is heard;

It is the hour when lover's vows

Seem sweet in every whispered word;

And gentle winds and waters near,

Make music to the lovely ear.

Each flower the dews have lightly wet,

And in the sky the stars are met

And on the wave is deeper blue,

And on the leaf a browner hue,

And in the heaven that clear obscure,

So softly dark, and darkly pure,

Which follows the decline of day,

As twilight melts beneath the moon away.

MY NATIVE LAND — GOOD NIGHT

"Adieu! adieu! my native shore

Fades over the waters blue;

The night winds sigh, the breakers roar,

And shrieks the wild sea-mew.

Yon* sun that sets upon the sea

We follow in his flight;

Farewell awile to him and thee,

My native Land — good night!

(by Percy B. Shelley)

It was a winter such as when birds die

In the deep forests; and the fishes lie

Stiffened in the translucent ice, which makes

Even the mud and slime of the warm lakes

A wrinkled clod as hard as brick; and when

Among their children comfortable men

Gather about great fires, and yet feel cold;

Alas, then for the homeless beggar old.