FROM THE GERMAN OF FREDERICK LEOPOLD, COUNT OF STALBERG. Holy nature! fresh and free,Let me ever follow thee;By the hand, O, lead me still,Like a child, at thy sweet will. When with weariness oppressed,I will on thy bosom rest,Breathe in pleasure from above,In thy mother-arms of love. O, how well it is for meThee to […]

Farewell for a time!Thou hast gone to that climeWhere sickness and sorrow are o’er.We loved thee when here,We shed the sad tearTo think we shall see thee no more. We weep not for thee,We remember that HeWho made little children his careIn his own fatherlandWill reach you his hand,And comfort and welcome you there. Our […]

‘Tis true, although ’tis sad to say,Disputes are rising every day.You’d think, if no one did deny it,A little work-box might be quiet;But ’tis not so, for I did hear,Or else I dreamed it, ’tis so queer,A Pin and Needle in the cushionMaintain the following discussion. The Needle, “extra fine gold-eyed,”Was very sharp and full […]

Once on a time, a little birdWithin a wicker cage was heard,In mournful tones, these words to sing:–“In vain I stretch my useless wing;Still round and round I vainly fly,And strive in vain for liberty.Dear liberty, how sweet thou art!”The prisoner sings, with breaking heart:–“All other things I’d give for thee,Nor ask one joy but […]

OF ELLEN’S SQUIRREL, ON RECEIVING HIS LIBERTY;–OVERHEARD BY A LOVEROF NATURE AND A FRIEND OF ELLEN. Was that the music of the wind,That whispered in my trembling ear?And can I, free and unconfined,Taste of the joys that still are dear? And can I skip from tree to tree,And fly along the flowery plain,Light as the […]

Sweet flower! so young, so fresh, so fair,Bright pleasure sparkling in thine eye,Alas! e’en thee time will not spare,And thou must die. The heart with youthful hope so gay,That scarcely ever breathed a sigh,Must weep o’er pleasures fled away,For all must die. But though the rosy cheek may fade,The virtuous wish, the purpose high,The bloom […]

I wish I was that little birdUp in the bright blue sky,That sings and flies just where he will,And no one asks him why. I wish I was that little brookThat runs so swift along,Through pretty flowers, and shining stones,Singing a merry song. I wish I was a butterfly,Without a fear or care,Spreading my many-colored […]

A Free Translation of a German Popular Song Go forth, my heart, and seek the blissOf such a summer day as this,Bestowed on all by Heaven;The beauties of the garden see,Behold! it is for thee and meIts glories all are given. The trees with whispering leaves are dressed,The earth upon her dusky breastHer robe of […]

Praise to God! O let us raiseFrom our hearts a song of praise!Of that goodness let us singWhence our lives and blessings spring. Praise to him who made the light,Praise to him who gave us sight,Praise to him who formed the ear;Will he not his children hear? Praise him for our happy hours,Praise him for […]

Children goTo and fro,In a merry, pretty row,Footsteps light,Faces bright;‘Tis a happy sight.Swiftly turning round and round,Do not look upon the ground.Follow me,Full of glee,Singing merrily. Birds are free,So are we;And we live as happily.Work we do,Study too,For we learn “twice two”;Then we laugh, and dance, and sing,Gay as birds or any thing.Follow me,Full of […]

“Good bye, get away, you ugly old things!”Said a little boy once to his shoes;“All stubbed are your toes, all twisted your strings,You’re wrinkled, one-sided, and loose. “But here are my new ones, so shiny and bright,They are almost as smooth as my skin;How stiff they are, too! how straight and upright!How snug my feet […]

TRANSLATED FROM THE GERMAN OF GELLART. The monkeys, ’tis said, once asked of the bears,How it was that their nation so much surpassed theirs,And begged that the means they would graciously tellBy which the young bears were kept hearty and well.“Perhaps it may be,” said one of the mothers,Who seemed more considerate and wise than […]

[Billy Rabbit was a little rabbit which a boy caught in the woods, and gave to a little girl of the name of Mary. She was very attentive to the little prisoner, gave him an abundance of good things to eat, and tried her best to make him happy; but all in vain. After many […]

FROM THE GERMAN. One short six months had scarcely gone,When, full of all he’d learned,Young Frederick, that hopeful son,From college home returned. To his paternal roof restored,It was not long beforeThe learned man at table pouredThe treasures of his lore. “Now,” said the youngster, “father dear,You doubtless think you seeTwo roasted fowls before us here;But […]

TRANSLATED FROM THE GERMAN OF UHLAND. Lady Bertha sat in the rocky cleft,Her bitter woes to weep;Little Roland played in the free fresh air;His sorrows were not deep. “My royal brother, O King Charles,Why did I fly from thee?Splendor and rank I left for love;Now thou art wroth with me. “O Milon, Milon, husband dear!Beneath […]

Will God, who made the earth and sea,The night, and shining day,Regard a little child like me,And listen when I pray? If I am hungry, poor, and cold,Then will he hear my cry?And when I shall be sick and old,O, then will God be nigh? Yes; in his holy word we readOf his unfailing love;And […]

Dear mother, how pretty The moon looks to-night! She was never so cunning before; Her two little horns Are so sharp and so bright, I hope she’ll not grow any more. If I were up there, With you and my friends, I’d rock in it nicely, you’d see; I’d sit in the middle And hold […]