Poems of childhood

Chapter 59: GARDEN AND CRADLE

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About This Book

A collection of short lyrical poems written for and about children, blending playful nonsense, gentle lullabies, and nostalgic reminiscence. Many pieces evoke bedtime and nursery scenes, give voice to toys and animals, or imagine voyages and fairylike adventures, mixing humor with a tender melancholy. Several poems adapt or echo folk-song material, while others are brief narrative or character sketches that vary in meter and mood. Overall the verses create an intimate domestic atmosphere, inviting readers into childlike wonder through simple rhythms, vivid small-scale imagery, and affectionate observation.

GARDEN AND CRADLE

When our babe he goeth walking in his garden,

Around his tinkling feet the sunbeams play;

The posies they are good to him,

And bow them as they should to him,

As fareth he upon his kingly way;

And birdlings of the wood to him

Make music, gentle music, all the day,

When our babe he goeth walking in his garden.

When our babe he goeth swinging in his cradle,

Then the night it looketh ever sweetly down;

The little stars are kind to him,

The moon she hath a mind to him

And layeth on his head a golden crown;

And singeth then the wind to him

A song, the gentle song of Bethlem-town,

When our babe he goeth swinging in his cradle.