lively green
“When the green woods laugh with the voice of joy,
And the dimpling stream runs laughing by;
When the air does laugh with our merry wit,
And the green hill laughs with the noise of it;
When the meadows laugh with lively green,
And the grasshopper laughs in the merry scene; . . .
Come live, and be merry, and join with me
To sing the sweet chorus of Ha, ha, he!”
—William Blake (17571827), Laughing Song, from Lullabies and Poems for Children, selected and edited by Diana Secker Larson, 2002.
pink was the shell within
“Pink was the shell within,
Silver without;
Sounds of the great sea
Wandered about.”
—Alfred, Lord Tennyson (1809–92), Minnie and Winnie, from Lullabies and Poems for Children, selected and edited by Diana Secker Larson, 2002.
the amethyst deep
“Yes, thou shalt know what mystery lies
In the amethyst deep of the curtained skies,
If thou wilt fold thy onyx eyes. . . .”
—Eugene Field (1850–95), Armenian Lullaby, from Lullabies and Poems for Children, selected and edited by Diana Secker Larson, 2002.
misty day, pearly gray
“Child of the moon, rub your rainy eyes. . . .
Oh, child of the moon, bid the sun arise.
Oh, child of the moon,
Give me a misty day, pearly gray, silver, silky faced, wide-awake,
crescent-shaped smile.”
—from Child Of The Moon by the Rolling Stones (Jagger/Richards), 1968.
a silver star
“Babys beds a silver moon,
sailing oer the sky,
Sailing oer the sea of sleep,
While the stars float by. . . .
Babys fishing for a dream,
Fishing near and far,
Her line a silver moonbeam is,
Her bait a silver star.”
—from Babys Beds a Silver Moon, traditional, as found in Lullabies and Poems for Children, selected and edited by Diana Secker Larson, 2002.
starry spikes
“Where did you get your eyes so blue?
Out of the sky as I came through.
What makes the light in them sparkle and spin?
Some of the starry spikes left in.”
—George MacDonald (1824–1905), Where Did You Come From Baby Dear?, as found in Lullabies and Poems for Children, selected and edited by Diana Secker Larson, 2002.
Blue-eyed Friend
“Fly away my blue-eyed friend,
Fly away my daisy,
Fly away my blue-eyed friend,
You nearly drive me crazy.
Wish I had a banjo strong,
Strung with golden twine,
And every time Id pluck on it,
Id wish that girl were mine.”
—from the traditional ballad Shady Grove, My Little Love, as found in Lullabies and Poems for Children, selected and edited by Diana Secker Larson, 2002.
like a diamond
“Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
How I wonder what you are!
Up above the world so high,
Like a diamond in the sky.”
—Jane Taylor (17831824), Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.
the blacker the berry
“Blacker than midnight,
Teeth like flags of truce.
The blacker the berry
The sweeter is the juice.”
—from St. Louis Blues by W.C. Handy.
the sun will shine
“Trouble in mindIm blue,
But I wont be blue always,
For the sun will shine
In my back door someday.”
—from Trouble in Mind by Richard M. Jones.