32
BABYHOOD.
The sparrow is your fearless friend,
And even these pine-tassels bend
More fondly to your cheek than mine.
And even these pine-tassels bend
More fondly to your cheek than mine.
When in the summer woods we walk,
All shy, sweet things commune with you:
You understand the robin's talk;
And when a flower bends its stalk,
You answer it with nod and coo.
All shy, sweet things commune with you:
You understand the robin's talk;
And when a flower bends its stalk,
You answer it with nod and coo.
Sometimes, with playful prank and wile,
As seeing what I cannot see,
You look into the air, and smile,
And murmur softly all the while
To one who speaks no word to me.
As seeing what I cannot see,
You look into the air, and smile,
And murmur softly all the while
To one who speaks no word to me.
Is it because your sacred youth
Is free from touch of time or toil?
I cannot tell;—perhaps, in sooth,
Clean hands may grasp the fair white truth
Withheld from mine through fear of soil.
Is free from touch of time or toil?
I cannot tell;—perhaps, in sooth,
Clean hands may grasp the fair white truth
Withheld from mine through fear of soil.
I guard you with a needless care,
O child, so sinlessly secure!
O child, so sinlessly secure!
