atching each other's playthings away?
Would it be any hardship to let them alone,
When every one of you has toys of his own?

I often have told you before, my dear boys,
That I do not object to your making a noise;
Or running and jumping about, anyhow,
But fighting and mischief I cannot allow.

So, if any more of these quarrels are heard,
I tell you this once, and I'll keep to my word,
I'll take every marble, and spintop and ball,
And not let you play with each other at all.

Nurse's Song

When the voices of children are heard on the green,
And laughing is heard on the hill,
My heart is at rest within my breast,
And everything else is still.

"Then come home my children, the sun is gone down
And the dews of the night arise;
Come, come, leave off play, and let us away,
Till the morning appears in the skies."

"No, no, let us play, for it is yet day,
And we cannot go to sleep;
Besides in the sky the little birds fly,
And the hills are covered with sheep."

"Well, well, go and play till the light fades away,
And then go home to bed."
The little ones leaped, and shouted and laughed,
And all the hills echoed.

W. Blake

[Illustration: Our See-Saw.]

[Illustration: Our Owls See-Sawing.]

[Illustration: Our Pigs See-Sawing.]

[Page 88--Play Land]

Swinging

Here we go on the garden swing,
Under the chestnut tree.
Up in the branches birdies sing
Songs to Baby and me,
Baby and Kitty and me.
Then up, high up, for the ropes are long,
And down, low down, for the branch is strong.

And there's room on the seat for three,
Just Baby and Kitty and me
Merrily swinging,
Merrily singing,
Under the chestnut tree.

Up to the clustering leaves we go,
Down we sweep to the grass,
Touching the daisies there below,
Bowing to let us pass,
Smiling to us as we pass.
Then up, high up, for the ropes are long,
And down, low down, for the branch is strong.

And there's room on the seat for three,
Just Baby and Kitty and me
Merrily swinging,
Merrily singing,
Under the chestnut tree.

Skating

One day it chanced that Miss Maud did meet
The poet's little son,
"I'm going skating, Sir," she said;
"And so am I," said John.

"If you can skate and I can skate,
Why let me skate with