Sing-Song: The Peach Tree on the Southern Wall

The peach tree on the southern wall
Has basked so long beneath the sun,
Her score of peaches great and small
Bloom rosy, every one.

A peach for brothers, one for each

A peach for brothers, one for each,
A peach for you and a peach for me;
But the biggest, rosiest, downiest peach
For Grandmamma with her tea.

A rose has thorns as well as honey

A rose has thorns as well as honey,
I’ll not have her for love or money;
An iris grows so straight and fine,
That she shall be no friend of mine;
Snowdrops like the snow would chill me;
Nightshade would caress and kill me;
Crocus like a spear would fright me;
Dragon’s-mouth might bark or bite me;
Convolvulus but blooms to die;
A wind-flower suggests a sigh
Love-lies-bleeding makes me sad;
And poppy-juice would drive me mad
But give me holly, bold and jolly,
Honest, prickly, shining holly;
Pluck me holly leaf and berry
For the day when I make merry.

Is the moon tired? she looks so pale

Is the moon tired? she looks so pale
Within her misty veil:
She scales the sky from east to west,
And takes no rest.

Before the coming of the night

Before the coming of the night
The moon shows papery white;
Before the dawning of the day
She fades away.

If stars dropped out of heaven

If stars dropped out of heaven,
And if flowers took their place,
The sky would still look very fair,
And fair earth’s face.

Winged angels might fly down to us

Winged angels might fly down to us
To pluck the stars,
But we could only long for flowers
Beyond the cloudy bars.

“Goodbye in fear, goodbye in sorrow

“Goodbye in fear, goodbye in sorrow,
Goodbye, and all in vain,
Never to meet again, my dear—”
“Never to part again.”
“Goodbye to-day, goodbye to-morrow,
Goodbye till earth shall wane,
Never to meet again, my dear—”
“Never to part again.”

If the sun could tell us half

If the sun could tell us half
That he hears and sees,
Sometimes he would make us laugh,
Sometimes make us cry:
Think of all the birds that make
Homes among the trees;
Think of cruel boys who take
Birds that cannot fly.

If the moon came from heaven

If the moon came from heaven,
Talking all the way,
What could she have to tell us,
And what could she say?