d day for thee!
Then whither would'st thou roam?
A faithful nurse thou hast;
The dam that did the yean
Upon the mountain top
No kinder could have been.

"Thou know'st that thrice a day
I have brought thee in this can
Fresh water from the brook,
As clear as ever ran.
And twice, too, in the day,
When the ground is wet with dew,
I bring thee draughts of milk--
Warm milk it is, and new.

"Here, then, thou need'st not dread
The raven in the sky;
Night and day thou'rt safe;
Our cottage is hard by.
Why bleat so after me?
Why pull so at thy chain?
Sleep, and at break of day,
I will come to thee again."

Wordsworth

A Visit to the Lambs

Mother, let's go and see the lambs;
This warm and sunny day
I think must make them very glad,
And full of fun and play.

Ah, there they are. You pretty things!
Now, don't you run away;
I'm come on purpose, that I am,
To see you this fine day.

What pretty little heads you've got,
And such good-natured eyes!
And ruff of wool all round your necks--
How nicely curl'd it lies!

Come here, my little lambkin, come,
And lick my hand--now do!
How silly to be so afraid!
Indeed I won't hurt you.

Just put your hand upon its back,
Mother, how nice and warm!
There, pretty lamb, you see I don't
Intend to do you harm.

Easy Poetry

[Illustration: Girl embracing Lamb.]

[Page 173--Baa Baa Land]

[Illustration: Girl leading lamb.]

The Pet Lamb

Once on a time, a shepherd lived
Within a cottage small;
The grey thatched roof was shaded by
An elm-tree dark and tall;
While all around, stretched far away,
A wild and lonesome moor,
Except a little daisied field
Before the trellised door.

Now, it was on a cold March day,
When on the moorland wide
The shepherd found a trembling lamb
By its mother's side;
And so pitiful it bleated,
As with the cold it shook,
He wrapped it up beneath his coat,
And home the poor lamb took.

He placed it by the warm fireside,
And then his children fed
This little lamb, whose mother died,
With milk and sweet brown bread,
Until it ran about the floor,
Or at the door would stand;
And grew so tame, it ate its food
From out the children's hand.

It followed them where'er they went,
C