When We Were Very Young (11 page)

I went down to the shouting sea,

Taking Christopher down with me,

For Nurse had given us sixpence each—

And down we went to the beach.

We had sand in the eyes and the ears and the nose,

And sand in the hair, and sand-between-the-toes.

Whenever a good nor’ wester blows,

Christopher is certain of

Sand-between-the-toes.

The sea was galloping grey and white;

Christopher clutched his sixpence tight;

We clambered over the humping sand—

And Christopher held my hand.

We had sand in the eyes and the ears and the nose,

And sand in the hair, and sand-between-the-toes.

Whenever a good nor’ wester blows,

Christopher is certain of

Sand-between-the-toes.

There was a roaring in the sky;

The sea-gulls cried as they blew by;

We tried to talk, but had to shout—

Nobody else was out.

When we got home, we had sand in the hair,

In the eyes and the ears and everywhere;

Whenever a good nor’ wester blows,

Christopher is found with

Sand-between-the-toes.

Knights and Ladies

There is in my old picture-book

A page at which I like to look,

Where knights and squires come riding down

The cobbles of some steep old town,

And ladies from beneath the eaves

Flutter their bravest handkerchiefs,

Or, smiling proudly, toss down gages….

But that was in the Middle Ages.

It wouldn’t happen now; but still,

Whenever I look up the hill

Where, dark against the green and blue,

The firs come marching, two by two,

I wonder if perhaps I
might

See suddenly a shining knight

Winding his way from blue to green—

Exactly as it would have been

Those many, many years ago….

Perhaps I might. You never know.

Little Bo-Peep and Little Boy Blue

“What have you done with your sheep,

Little Bo-Peep?

What have you done with your sheep,

Bo-Peep?”

“Little Boy Blue, what fun!

I’ve lost them, everyone!”

“Oh, what a thing to have done,

Little Bo-Peep!”

“What have you done with your sheep,

Little Boy Blue?

What have you done with your sheep,

Boy Blue?”

“Little Bo-Peep, my sheep

Went off, when I was asleep.”

“I’m sorry about your sheep,

Little Boy Blue.”

“What are you going to do,

Little Bo-Peep?

What are you going to do,

Bo-Peep?”

“Little Boy Blue, you’ll see

They’ll all come home to tea.”

“They wouldn’t do that for me,

Little Bo-Peep.”

“What are you going to do,

Little Boy Blue?

What are you going to do,

Boy Blue?”

“Little Bo-Peep, I’ll blow

My horn for an hour or so.”

Isn’t that rather slow,

Little Boy Blue?”

“Whom are you going to marry,

Little Bo-Peep?

Whom are you going to marry,

Bo-Peep?”

“Little Boy Blue, Boy Blue,

I’d like to marry you.”

“I think I should like it too,

Little Bo-Peep.”

“Where are we going to live,

Little Boy Blue?

Where are we going to live,

Boy Blue?”

“Little Bo-Peep, Bo-Peep,

Up in the hills with the sheep.”

“And you’ll love your little Bo-Peep,

Little Boy Blue?”

I’ll love you for ever and ever,

Little Bo-Peep.

I’ll love you for ever and ever,

Bo-Peep.”

“Little Boy Blue, my dear,

Keep near, keep very near.”

“I shall be always here,

Little Bo-Peep.”