TO A WATERFOWL
: Lessons From Nature: Types Of Children's Literature
William Cullen Bryant
Whither, midst falling dew,
While glow the heavens with the last steps of days,
Far, through their rosy depths, dost thou pursue
Thy solitary way?
Vainly the fowler's eye
Might mark thy distant flight to do thee wrong,
As, darkly seen against the crimson sky,
Thy figure floats along.
Seek'st th
Of weedy lake or marge of river wide,
Or where the rocking billows rise and sink
On the chafed ocean-side?
There is a Power whose care
Teaches thy way along that pathless coast,--
The desert and illimitable air,--
Lone wandering, but not lost.
All day thy wings have fanned,
At that far height, the cold, thin atmosphere,
Yet stoop not, weary, to the welcome land,
Though the dark night is near.
And soon that toil shall end;
Soon shalt thou find a summer home, and rest,
And scream among thy fellows; reeds shall bend,
Soon, o'er thy sheltered nest.
Thou'rt gone! the abyss of heaven
Hath swallowed up thy form; yet, on my heart
Deeply has sunk the lesson thou hast given,
And shall not soon depart.
He who, from zone to zone,
Guides through the boundless sky thy certain flight,
In the long way that I must tread alone,
Will lead my steps aright.
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THE VOYAGE OF THE WEE RED CAP
It was the night of St. Stephen, and Teig sat alone by his fire with naught in his cupboard but a pinch of tea and a bare mixing of meal, and a heart inside of him as soft and warm as the ice on the water-bucket outside the door. The tuft was ne... THE WALRUS AND THE CARPENTER
The sun was shining on the sea, Shining with all his might; He did his very best to make The billows smooth and bright-- And this was odd, because it was The middle of the night. The moon was shining sulkily, Because she thought the ... THE WAY TO BE HAPPY
How pleasant it is at the end of the day, No follies to have to repent, But reflect on the past and be able to say, My time has been properly spent! When I've done all my business with patience and care, And been good, and obliging, and kind... THE WEDDING GARMENT.
There was a certain King who gave a great feast upon the occasion of his son's wedding. And he sent out his servants to bring in those that had been invited, but they would not come. Then he sent forth other servants, saying, "Tell them which were... THE WHOLE DUTY OF CHILDREN
A child should always say what's true And speak when he is spoken to, And behave mannerly at table; At least as far as he is able. ... THE WICKED HUSBANDMEN.
One day when the priests and elders of the Temple were asking questions of Jesus, He told them this parable. There was a certain man who had a vineyard which was hedged or walled round, and had a tower. But he was going away into a country far o... THE WIND
Who has seen the wind? Neither you nor I But when the leaves hang trembling The wind is passing by. Who has seen the wind? Neither you nor I But when the trees bow down their heads The wind is passing by. ... THE WIND
I saw you toss the kites on high And blow the birds about the sky; And all around I heard you pass, Like ladies' skirts across the grass-- O wind, a-blowing all day long, O wind, that sings so loud a song! I saw the different things you d... THE WIND AND THE SUN
A dispute once arose betwixt the North Wind and the Sun about the superiority of their power; and they agreed to try their strength upon a traveler, which should be able to get his cloak off first. The North Wind began, and blew a very cold blast,... THE WIND'S TALE
... THE WISE GOAT AND THE WOLF
Once upon a time, many, many wild Goats lived in a cave in the side of a hill. A Wolf lived with his mate not far from this cave. Like all Wolves they liked the taste of Goat-meat. So they caught the Goats, one after another, and ate them all but ... THE WISE MEN'S VISIT.
The birth of Jesus Christ was announced by two remarkable events: the coming of wise men from the East, and the appearance of angels to some shepherds at Bethlehem. The wise men were probably astronomers; and in watching the stars they had seen... THE WOLF AND THE STORK
The wolves are prone to play the glutton. One, at a certain feast, 'tis said, So stuffed himself with lamb and mutton, He seemed but little short of dead. Deep in his throat a bone stuck fast. Well for this wolf, who could not speak, That... THE WOMAN OF CANAAN.
Jesus came unto the borders of Tyre and Sidon, where the people were not Jews, but Gentiles. And there came to Him a woman of Canaan, who cried out to Him, saying, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Thou son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with ... THE WONDERFUL DRAUGHT OF FISHES
One day, as the crowds pressed round Him to hear the Word of God, Jesus came to the Lake of Gennesaret and saw two boats drawn up on the shore. Now one of these belonged to a man named Simon Peter, who was at the water's edge washing his nets. Jes... THE WOODPECKER AND THE LION
One day while a Lion was eating his dinner a bone stuck in his throat. It hurt so that he could not finish his dinner. He walked up and down, up and down, roaring with pain. A Woodpecker lit on a branch of a tree near-by, and hearing the Lion, ... THE WOODPECKER, TURTLE, AND DEER
Once upon a time a Deer lived in a forest near a lake. Not far from the same lake, a Woodpecker had a nest in the top of a tree; and in the lake lived a Turtle. The three were friends, and lived together happily. A hunter, wandering about in th... THE WORLD TURNS WHITE
After he outwitted the strange dog, Tommy Fox became more of a braggart than ever. He thought that he knew just about all there was to know. But with the coming of winter Tommy found that he had many things to learn. It was almost like living in a... THE WRECK OF THE HESPERUS
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow It was the schooner _Hesperus_, That sailed the wintry sea; And the skipper had taken his little daughter, To bear him company. Blue were her eyes as the fairy-flax, Her cheeks like the dawn of day, And h... THE WRONG BLACK BAG
It was the eve of Good Friday. Within the modest parlour of No. 13 Primrose Terrace a little man, wearing a gray felt hat and a red neck-tie, stood admiring himself in the looking-glass over the mantelpiece. Such a state of things anywhe... THERE IS NO FUN UNTILL I CUM.
The other man, nothing loath, raised the mug to his lips, and drank on and on and on, till a curious blueness overspread the countenance of the shepherd's wife, who had regarded with no little surprise the first stranger's free offer to the second o... THOR GOES A-FISHING
Hamilton Wright Mabie Midway between Niflheim and Muspelheim lay Midgard, the home of men, its round disk everywhere encircled by the ocean, which perpetually rushed upon it, gently in still summer afternoons, but with a terrible uproar in wi... TIMOTHY AND HIS MOTHER EUNICE.
Timothy was a youthful and earnest disciple of Jesus Christ, whom Paul loved dearly. Paul had found him during one of his missionary journeys, and, discovering how highly he was esteemed as a Christian, had selected him as his assistant. Afterward... TO A WATERFOWL
William Cullen Bryant Whither, midst falling dew, While glow the heavens with the last steps of days, Far, through their rosy depths, dost thou pursue Thy solitary way? Vainly the fowler's eye Might mark thy distant flight to do thee ... TO LUCASTA, ON GOING TO THE WARS
Richard Lovelace Tell me not, Sweet, I am unkind, That from the nunnery Of thy chaste breast and quiet mind, To war and arms I fly. True, a new mistress now I chase, The first foe in the field; And with a stronger faith embrace A ... TO THE FRINGED GENTIAN
William Cullen Bryant Thou blossom bright with autumn dew, And colored with the heaven's own blue, That openest when the quiet light Succeeds the keen and frosty night. Thou comest not when violets lean O'er wandering brooks and springs uns... TOINETTE AND THE ELVES
The winter's sun was nearing the horizon's edge. Each moment the tree shadows grew longer in the forest; each moment the crimson light on the upper boughs became more red and bright. It was Christmas Eve, or would be in half an hour, when the su... TOMMY BECOMES BOASTFUL
When Johnnie Green turned Tommy Fox loose, out in the meadow, in the moonlight, Tommy hurried across the fields as fast as he could go. You remember that he heard a fox barking, near the foot of Blue Mountain, and he thought it sounded like his mo... TOMMY CHASES MR. WOODCHUCK
Tommy Fox went up into Farmer Green's back-pasture, which, lay even nearer Blue Mountain than the field where Tommy and his mother lived. He skulked along among the rocky hummocks, and the old stumps which dotted the pasture thickly. His ears and ... TOMMY ENJOYS HIMSELF
Tommy Fox was having a delightful time. If you could have come upon him in the woods you would have been astonished at his antics. He leaped high off the ground, and struck out with his paws. He opened his mouth and thrust his nose out and then cl... TOMMY FOX IN TROUBLE
A few days after Tommy Fox caught old Mr. Woodchuck, something happened that set him thinking. Perhaps I should say _"a few nights"_ instead of _"days."_ For one night his mother came home with a fat hen slung across her shoulders. She had been do... TOMMY FOX IS HUNGRY
Tommy Fox kept a sharp look-out to see what he could capture to eat. But he could discover nothing at all. To be sure, there were birds in the trees, and birds' nests too, and Tommy was very fond of birds' eggs. But he couldn't climb trees. The bi... TOMMY FOX LEARNS A NEW TRICK
Now, there was a road that ran through the valley, along the bank of Swift River. And when Mrs. Fox reached it, with Tommy close behind her, she turned again--this time to the left--and ran along in the beaten track which the horses and sleighs ha... TOMMY FOX LEARNS TO HUNT
Tommy Fox was hunting crickets in the field near his mother's house. Being a young fox, not much more than half-grown, Tommy knew very little of hunting. In fact, crickets were about the only thing he could hunt and _catch_. Of course, any one can... TOMMY FOX MAKES A STRANGE FRIEND
There was one thing, especially, that surprised Tommy Fox. And I think it surprised the dog Spot even more. Tommy and Spot became friends. At first, whenever Spot came near, Tommy would run into his hole, as far as his chain would allow him. But... TOMMY FROST SEES A BEAR.
Tommy Frost was making his first visit in the country. He was enjoying it very much. He liked to ramble about in the woods close by the house of his aunt, Mrs. Drew. Tommy had never even seen any birds before this, but pigeons and sparrows. That is,... TOMMY GROWS TOO CARELESS
By the time summer was nearly over, Tommy Fox was much bigger than he had been in the spring. So many things had happened, and he had learned so much, that he began to be quite bold. And he had grown so saucy that his mother often had to scold him... TOWSER TALKS.
I am not a big dog and I don't know very much, but I know more than I used to. The reason why I know more than I used to is because I asked Carlo some questions once. I asked him what made him so gaunt and thin and why he had such an enquiring expre... TWO LITTLE RIDDLES IN RHYME
There's a garden that I ken, Full of little gentlemen; Little caps of blue they wear, And green ribbons, very fair. (Flax.) From house to house he goes, A messenger small and slight, And whether ... TWO STRANGE SIGHTS.
"Oh come into the dining-room!" Cries Fred, "come, grandma, dear. For something very strange indeed Is going on in here!" And sure enough, when grandma comes, Perhaps at first with fright, She stands quite still, astonished at An unexpected sigh... UPON THE ROAD TO ROCKABOUT
Upon the road to Rockabout I came upon some sheep-- A large and woolly flock about As wide as it was deep. I was about to turn about To ask the man to tell Some things I wished to learn about Both sheep and wool as well, When I beheld a rou... VIOLA ROSEBOROUGH
... WALDO GOES FISHING.
It was with stronger forebodings than he dared acknowledge even to himself, that Professor Featherwit watched the two young men out of sight in the early gloom, and scarcely had his nephew passed beyond hearing than uncle Phaeton would gladly have ... WATER-LILIES
The stream that crept down from the hills, three miles away, has worn a smooth bed for itself in the gravel; has watered the farmer's fields, and turned the wheel of the old grist-mill, where the miller tends the stones that grind the farmer's cor... WEEPING
"Well, Hermod, what did she say?" asked the AEsir from the top of the hill as they saw him coming; "make haste and tell us what she said." And Hermod came up. "Oh! is that all?" they cried, as soon as he had delivered his message. "Nothing can ... WHAT HAPPENED CHRISTMAS EVE.
It was Christmas Eve and the frost fairies were busy getting ready for Christmas Day. First of all they spread the loveliest white snow carpet over the rough, bare ground; then they hung the bushes and trees with icicles that flashed like diamonds...