Bird Songs

When the harvest all was gathered
In the sunny autumn weather,
To the greenwood, blithe and merry,
We went nutting all together;

And as the woods we wander'd
So dim and dark and green,
We heard a sweet voice calling
Though no one could be seen:

"Two sticks across,
And a little bit of moss;
It'll do, it'll do it'll do, Coo, coo, coo".

The wild things of the woodlands
Scarce seemed of us afraid;
The blue Jay flash'd before us,
And the squirrel near us played.

We ate our nuts and rested
On a fallen tree, moss-grown,
And still a voice kept calling
In the softest, tend'rest tone:

"Two sticks across,
And a little bit of moss;
It'll do, it'll do it'll do, Coo, coo, coo".

On her nest, with her young,
Sat the starling in the steeple
While below the great bell swung
To the church to call the people.

"Mother, mother", cried the starlings
"What is that? oh mother, tell!"
"Don't be frightened, little darlings
'Tis the great church bell

Ringing out its solemn warning,
That the people far and near
All may know 'tis Sunday morning
And make haste to gather here.

While the organ's sweetly playing
Little birds need have no fear!
While below the folk are praying
You can sing your hymns up here!"

 On a sultry summer morning
 Down the dusty road we stray'd,
 And plucked the wayside flowers
 And ran and laughed and played!

 There was not the slightest breeze,
 And we wearied of our play,
 And then we heard the yellowhammer say:
 "A little bit of bread and no cheese!"

 Once again we roamed the woodland
 Wen the years had fleeted by
 And, poor as mice, we pledged our vows,
 My love and I.

 We had kissed beneath the tress,
 And then we heard again
 The yellowhammer say, quite plain
 "A little bit of bread and no cheese!"

A wren just under my window
has suddenly, sweetly sung;
He woke me from my slumbers
With his sweet shrill tongue.

It was so very early,
The dew-drops were not dry,
And pearly cloudlets floated
Across the rosy sky

His nest is in the ivy
Where his little wife sits all day,
And by her side he sings to her
And never flies far away.

Three little owlets
In a hollow tree,
Cuddled up together
Close as could be,

When the moon shone out
And the dew lay wet
Mother flew about
To see what she could get

She caught a little mouse
So velvety and soft,
She caught a little sparrow,
And then she flew aloft

To the three little owlets
In a hollow tree,
Cuddled up together
Close as could be,

"Tu-whoo," said the old owl
"Isn't this good cheer?"
"Tu-whit," said the owlets.
"Thank you, mother dear,
Tu-whit, tu-whit, tu-whit, tu-whit,
Tu-whoo."