By Eugene Field
THE ROCK-A-BY LADY
"BOOH"!
GARDEN AND CRADLE
THE NIGHT WIND
KISSING TIME
JEST 'FORE CHRISTMAS
BEARD AND BABY
THE DINKEY-BIRD
THE DRUM
THE DEAD BABE
THE HAPPY HOUSEHOLD
So, so, ROCK-A-BY SO!
THE SONG OF LUDDY-DUD
THE DUEL
GOOD-CHILDREN STREET
THE DELECTABLE BALLAD OF THE WALLER LOT
THE STORK
THE BOTTLE TREE
GOOGLY-GOO
THE BENCH-LEGGED FYCE
LITTLE MISS BRAG
THE HUMMING TOP
LADY BUTTON-EYES
THE RIDE TO BUMPVILLE
THE BROOK
PICNIC-TIME
SHUFFLE-SHOON AND AMBER-LOCKS
THE SHUT-EYE TRAIN
LITTLE-OH-DEAR
THE FLY-AWAY HORSE
SWING HIGH AND SWING LOW
WHEN I WAS A BOY
AT PLAY
A VALENTINE
LITTLE ALL-ALONEY
SEEIN' THINGS
THE CUNNIN' LITTLE THING
THE DOLL'S WOOING
INSCRIPTION FOR MY LITTLE SON'S SILVER PLATE
FISHERMAN JIM'S KIDS
"FIDDLE-DEE-DEE"
OVER THE HILLS AND FAR AWAY
THE ROCK-A-BY LADY
The Rock-a-By Lady from Hushaby street Comes stealing; comes creeping;
The poppies they hang from her head to her feet, And each hath a dream that is tiny and fleet - She bringeth her poppies to you, my sweet, When she findeth you sleeping!
There is one little dream of a beautiful drum - "Rub-a-dub!" it goeth;
There is one little dream of a big sugar-plum, And lo! thick and fast the other dreams come Of popguns that bang, and tin tops that hum, And a trumpet that bloweth!
And dollies peep out of those wee little dreams With laughter and singing;
And boats go a-floating on silvery streams, And the stars peek-a-boo with their own misty gleams, And up, up, and up, where the Mother Moon beams, The fairies go winging!
Would you dream all these dreams that are tiny and fleet?
They'll come to you sleeping;
So shut the two eyes that are weary, my sweet, For the Rock-a-By Lady from Hushaby street, With poppies that hang from her head to her feet, Comes stealing; comes creeping.
"BOOH!"
On afternoons, when baby boy has had a splendid nap, And sits, like any monarch on his throne, in nurse's lap, In some such wise my handkerchief I hold before my face, And cautiously and quietly I move about the place;
Then, with a cry, I suddenly expose my face to view, And you should hear him laugh and crow when I say "Booh"!
Sometimes the rascal tries to make believe that he is scared, And really, when I first began, he stared, and stared, and stared;
And then his under lip came out and farther out it came, Till mamma and the nurse agreed it was a "cruel shame" - But now what does that same wee, toddling, lisping baby do But laugh and kick his little heels when I say "Booh!"
He laughs and kicks his little heels in rapturous glee, and then In shrill, despotic treble bids me "do it all aden!"
And I - of course I do it; for, as his progenitor, It is such pretty, pleasant play as this that I am for!
And it is, oh, such fun I and sure that we shall rue The time when we are both too old to play the game "Booh!"
