Poems Every Child Should Know 11 Free Audiobooks Children's Book Club Public Domain.
poems every child should know edited by mary e burt section 11 read for librivox.org by kara shallenberg this section contains the following poems jack frost the owl and little billy
part two the little child the frost jack frost by hannah flagg gould 1789-1865
is perhaps 100 years old but he is the same rollicking fellow today as of yore the poem puts his merry pranks to the front and prepares the way for science to give him a true analysis
the frost looked forth one still clear night and whispered now i shall be out of sight so through the valley and over the height in silence i'll take my way i will not go on with that blustering train the wind and the snow the hail and the rain who make so much bustle and noise in vain but i'll be as busy as they then he flew to the mountain and powdered its crest he lit on the trees and their boughs he dressed in diamond beads and over the breast of the quivering lake he spread a coat of mail that it need not fear the downward point of many a spear that hung on its margin far and near where a rock could rear its head he went to the windows of those who slept and over each pain like a fairy crept wherever he breathed wherever he slept by the light of the moon were seen most beautiful things there were flowers and trees there were bevies of birds and swarms of bees there were cities with temples and towers and these all pictured in silver sheen but he did one thing that was hardly fair he peeped in the cupboard and finding there that all had forgotten for him to prepare now just to set them a thinking i'll bite this basket of fruit said he this costly pitcher i'll burst in three and the glass of water they've left for me shall cheech to tell them i'm drinking
hannah flag gould
the owl when cats run home and light has come and dew is cold upon the ground and the far off stream is dumb and the whoring sail goes round and the whirring sail goes round alone and warming his five wits the white owl in the belfry sits when merry milkmaids click the latch and rarely smells the new moon hay and the [ __ ] hath sung beneath the thatch twice or thrice his round delay twice or thrice his roundalay alone and warming his five wits the white owl in the belfry sits alfred tennyson
little billy little billy by william make peace thackeray 1811-1863 finds a place here because it carries a good lesson good naturally rendered an accomplished teacher recommends it and i recollect two young children in chicago who sang it frequently for years without getting tired of it
there were three sailors of bristol city who took a boat and went to sea but first with beef and captain's biscuits and pickled pork they loaded she there was gorging jack and guzzling jimmy and the youngest he was little billy now when they got so far as the equator they had nothing left but one split pea says gorging jack to guzzling jimmy i am extremely hungry two gorging jack says guzzling jimmy we've nothing left us must eat we says gorging jack to guzzling jimmy with one another we shouldn't agree there's little bill he's young and tender we're old and tough so let's eat he oh billy we're going to kill and eat you so undo the button of your shimmy when bill received this information he used his pocket handkerchief first let me say my catechism which my poor mammy taught to me make haste make haste says guzzling jimmy while jack pulled out his snickers knee so billy went up to the main top gallant mast and down he fell on his bended knee he scarce had come to the 12th commandment went up he jumps there's land i see jerusalem and madagascar and north and south america there's the british flag arriving at anchor with admiral napier kcb so when they got aboard of the admirals he hanged fat jack and flogged jimmy but as for little bill he made him the captain of a 73.