Kookoorookoo and other songs

Who has seen the wind? 
  Neither I nor you;
But when the leaves hang trembling,
  The wind is passing through. 

Who has seen the wind? 
  Neither you nor I;
But when the trees bow down their heads,
  The wind is passing by.

Fly away, fly away over the sea,
  Sun-loving swallow, for summer is done;
Come again, come again, come back to me,
  Bringing the summer and bringing the sun.

Growing in the vale
  By the uplands hilly,
Growing straight and frail,
  Lady Daffadowndilly.

In a golden crown,
And a scant green gown
  While the spring blows chilly,
Lady Daffadown,
  Sweet Daffadowndilly. 

Hope is like a harebell trembling from its birth,
Love is like a rose the joy of all the earth;
Faith is like a lily lifted high and white,
Love is like a lovely rose the world's delight;
Harebells and sweet lilies show a thornless growth,
But the rose with all its thorns excels them both.

The horses of the sea
  Rear a foaming crest,
But the horses of the land
  Serve us the best.

The horses of the land
  Munch corn and clover,
While the foaming sea-horses
  Toss and turn over. 

If a pig wore a wig,
  What could we say?
Treat him as a gentleman,
  And say "Good day."

If his tail chanced to fail,
  What could we do? --
Send him to the tailoress
  To get one new. 

"Ferry me across the water,
Do, boatman, do."
"If you've a penny in your purse
I'll ferry you."

"I have a penny in my purse,
And my eyes are blue;
So ferry me across the water,
Do, boatman, do!"

"Step into my ferry-boat,
Be they black or blue,
And for the penny in your purse
I'll ferry you."

I dug and dug amongst the snow,
	And thought the flowers would never grow;
I dug and dug amongst the sand,
	And still no green thing came to hand.

Melt, o snow! the warm winds blow
	To thaw the flowers and melt the snow;
But all the winds from every land
	Will rear no blossom from the sand.

If hope grew on a bush,
  And joy grew on a tree,
What a nosegay for the plucking
  There would be!

But oh! in windy autumn,
  When frail flowers wither,
What should we do for hope and joy,
  Fading together?

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

"Kookoorookoo! kookoorookoo!"
  Crows the cock before the morn;
"Kikirikee! kikirikee!"
  Roses in the east are born.

"Kookoorookoo! kookoorookoo!"
  Early birds begin their singing;
"Kikirikee! kikirikee!"
  The day, the day, the day is springing. 

  Lullaby, oh, lullaby!
Flowers are closed and lambs are sleeping;
  Lullaby, oh, lullaby!
[Stars are up, the moon is peeping;
  Lullaby, oh, lullaby!]1
While the birds are silence keeping,
  (Lullaby, oh, lullaby!)
Sleep, my baby, fall a-sleeping,
  Lullaby, oh, lullaby!

Mix a pancake,
Stir a pancake,
  Pop it in the pan;
Fry the pancake,
Toss the pancake, --
  Catch it if you can.

A motherless soft lambkin
  Along upon a hill;
No mother's fleece to shelter him
  And wrap him from the cold:--
I'll run to him and comfort him,
  I'll fetch him, that I will;
I'll care for him and feed him
  Until he's strong and bold.

Boats sail on the rivers,
  And ships sail on the seas;
But clouds that sail across the sky
  Are prettier far than these.

There are bridges on the rivers,
  As pretty as you please;
But the bow that bridges heaven,
  And overtops the trees,
And builds a road from earth to sky,
  Is prettier far than these. 

Brown and furry
Caterpillar in a hurry,
Take your walk
To the shady leaf, or stalk,
Or what not,
Which may be the chosen spot.
No toad spy you,
Hovering bird of prey pass by you;
Spin and die,
To live again a butterfly. 

The peacock has a score of eyes,
With which he cannot see;
The cod-fish has a silent sound,
However that may be;

No dandelions tell the time,
Although they turn to clocks;
Cat's-cradle does not hold the cat,
Nor foxglove fit the fox. 

A pin has a head, but has no hair;
A clock has a face, but no mouth there;
Needles have eyes, but they cannot see;
A fly has a trunk without lock or key;
A timepiece may lose, but cannot win;
A corn-field dimples without a chin;
A hill has no leg, but has a foot;
A wine-glass a stem, but not a root;
A watch has hands, but no thumb or finger;
A boot has a tongue, but is no singer;
Rivers run, though they have no feet;
A saw has teeth, but it does not eat;
Ash-trees have keys, yet never a lock;
And baby crows, without being a cock.

Sing me a song--
  What shall I sing? --
Three merry sisters
  Dancing in a ring,
Light and fleet upon their feet
  As birds upon the wing.

Tell me a tale --
  What shall I tell?
Two mournful sisters,
  And a tolling knell,
Tolling ding and tolling dong,
  Ding dong bell. 

What do the stars do
Up in the sky,
Higher than the wind can blow,
Or the clouds can fly?

Each star in its own glory
Circles, circles still;
As it was lit to shine and set,
And do its Maker's will. 

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.

A white hen sitting
 On white eggs three:
Next, three speckled chickens
 As plump as plump can be.

An owl, and a hawk,
 And a bat come to see:
But chicks beneath their mother's wing
 Squat safe as safe can be.

Rosy maiden Winifred,
With a milkpail on her head,
Tripping through the corn,
  While the dew lies on the wheat
    In the sunny morn.
Scarlet shepherd's-weatherglass
  Spreads wide open at her feet
    As they pass;
Cornflowers give their almond smell
  While she brushes by,
  And a lark sings from the sky
    "All is well." 

The summer nights are short
  Where northern days are long:
For hours and hours lark after lark
  Trills out his song.

The summer days are short
  Where southern nights are long:
Yet short the night when nightingales
  Trill out their song. 

The wind has such a rainy sound
  Moaning through the town,
The sea has such a windy sound, --
  Will the ships go down?

The apples in the orchard
  Tumble from their tree. --
Oh will the ships go down, go down,
  In the windy sea? 

What is pink? a rose is pink
By the fountain's brink.
What is red? a poppy's red
In its barley bed.
What is blue? the sky is blue
Where the clouds float thro'.
What is white? a swan is white
Sailing in the light.
What is yellow? pears are yellow,
Rich and ripe and mellow.
What is green? the grass is green,
With small flowers between.
What is violet? clouds are violet
In the summer twilight.
What is orange? why, an orange,
Just an orange!