DAISIESAt evening when I go to bedI see the stars shine overhead;They are the little daisies whiteThat dot the meadow of the night.And often while I'm dreaming so,Across the sky the moon will go;It is a lady, sweet and fair,Who comes to gather daisies there.For when at morning I arise,There's not a star left in the skies;She's picked them all and dropped them downInto the meadows of the town.OLD GREEK STORIESTHE SUN, THE MOON, AND THE STAR GIANTA great many years ago the Greeks told beautiful stories about what they saw in the earth and in the sky and in the sea.They said the Sun drove each day across the sky in a car of fire, and gave light and heat to men.He always had a bow and arrows with him, and his arrows were the sunbeams.When he shot them very hard and struck men with them, the men were said to be sun-struck, but when he let the arrows fall gently on the earth, they did only good.The Sun was called Apollo.He was said to be a beautiful young man with golden hair, and he made wonderful music on a kind of harp called a lyre.Men loved him, but they were a little afraid of him, too; he was so bright and strong.His sister was the Moon. Her name was Artemis, or Diana. She rode through the sky at night in a silver car, and she, too, had a bow and arrows.Her bow was a silver bow, and her arrows were the moonbeams.She loved hunting, and often at night she would come down to earth and roam through the woods with her bow in her hand and her arrows at her side or on her back.In pictures she is always seen with a little new moon in her hair.Artemis was so beautiful that men were afraid to look at her. It was said that if any man should look full at her he would lose his mind.So when she came to those whom she did not wish to hurt, she covered herself with clouds.For a time the good giant Orion helped Artemis in her hunting, for he too was a great hunter. Artemisloved him as well as she loved any one, but she was very cold and did not care much for anybody.After a time Orion left her. He wanted to marry the daughter of a king in one of the islands of the sea. The king said that he might if he would drive all the wild beasts out of the island. Orion did this, but the king did not keep his word.Instead of that, he put out the eyes of Orion, but Orion went to Apollo, and was made to see again.Then Orion went back to help Artemis with her hunting, but Apollo did not like that and wished to get rid of him.He did not wish, himself, to hurt Orion, so he made Artemis do it."Sister," he said to her one day, "some men say that you can shoot as well as I can, but we all know that is not so.""I should like to know why it is not so!" said Artemis."Well, let us try," said Apollo. "Do you see that little black speck away out there in the sea?""Yes, I see it," said Artemis."Can you hit it?" asked Apollo."Indeed I can," said Artemis; and with that she let an arrow fly from her bow. It went straight through the black speck.The black speck was the head of Orion. He was swimming back to Artemis from the country of the bad king.The speck at once went under the water and was seen no more.When Artemis found what she had done, she was very sad indeed. She could not bring Orion back to earth, but she took him up into the sky and put him among the stars, and there he is standing to this day.If you will look up into the sky on any clear winter night, you can see him. Just before him is his dog. We call it the Dog Star.THE WIND AND THE CLOUDSThe Sun and the Moon had a brother, the Summer Wind. His name was Hermes, but sometimes he was called Mercury.He had shoes with wings on them, which always took him very quickly wherever he wished to go, and he had a magic cap which kept him from being seen.He ran on errands for his father and his older brothers. He went everywhere, and he often picked up things that lay in his way, and that didn't belong to him.One day, when he was a small child, he crept down to the seaside and there found the shell of a tortoise.He stretched some strings tightly across it, and blew upon the strings, and made wonderful music.He called this thing a lyre.On the same day, toward evening, he looked across the meadows and saw some beautiful white cows. His brother Apollo was looking after them."What fun it would be to drive those cows away!" he said.So he crept up behind the cows while Apollo was not looking, and he drove them away. He drove them far, and at last shut them up in a cave, where he thought Apollo could not find them.Apollo saw that the cows were gone, and went to look for them, but he had a hard time.He thought that Hermes might have had something to do with them. So he went to Hermes.Hermes was playing upon the lyre which he had made, and was singing gently to himself.The music was so beautiful that Apollo forgot all about his cows."Where did you find that wonderful thing?" asked Apollo."O, I made it," said Hermes."Let me see it!" cried Apollo. "Show me how to play upon it."Hermes showed him, and Apollo sat down and played until it grew dark."O, give me this thing! I must have it," said Apollo.So Hermes gave it to him, and Apollo played upon it, gently at first, and then louder. He made such wild, sweet music as had never before been heard.To pay for the lyre, Apollo gave Hermes a magic stick which would bring sleep to men and would stop all quarreling.One day Hermes saw two snakesfighting. He touched them with the magic stick, and they stopped at once and wound themselves around it, and stayed there ever after.In the pictures of Hermes you will see this magic stick with the snakes around it. You will see, too, the cap and the shoes, with the wings upon them.When Hermes and Apollo had made these gifts to each other, Apollo said:"Hermes, my dear boy, you like my white cows so well that I am going to let you take care of them. I shall not have much time to take care of cows now, for you know I am learning to play upon the lyre."Hermes took care of the white cows after that, and on summer days he used to drive them across the blue meadows of the sky.When the Greeks saw the white clouds running before the wind, they would say:"It is Hermes driving his cows to pasture."THE RAINBOW BRIDGEHermes was so useful that Juno, the queen of the heavens, thought she must have a messenger, too. So she took Iris, a little sky fairy.Iris lived up among the clouds, and played with the stars, and romped with the little winds.At night she used to sleep in the silver cradle of the Moon.Sometimes Apollo, the Sun, took her in his golden car. Sometimes she slipped down to earth with the rain. Sometimes she went to visit her grandfather, the gray old Sea.Her grandfather was always glad to see her, and when she came down, he would hitch up his white sea horses and drive her over the tops of the waves. What fun that was!Old grandfather Sea loved Iris very much, and Apollo loved her, and Juno loved her.No one who saw her could help loving her; she was so bright and beautiful and good.When Juno sent her down to the earth on errands, the old Sea always wanted her to stay.But Apollo, the Sun, wanted her, too, and Juno wanted her.At last the Sun and the Sea and the Air and the Rain all said they would make a bridge for Iris, so thatshe might go back and forth more quickly between the earth and the sky, on the errands of Juno.The Earth brought the colors of all her beautiful flowers—rose, and blue, and violet, and yellow, and orange, and the green of the grass.The Sea gave silver mist.The Clouds gave gray and gold.The Sun himself spun the bridge out of all these colors.Then he fastened one end of it to the sky and hung a pot of gold on the other end, to keep it from blowing away; and it is said that the pot of gold is still there in the earth at the end of the rainbow bridge.But no one has ever found it.POEMS OLD AND NEWTHANK YOU, PRETTY COWThank you, pretty cow, that madePleasant milk to soak my bread,Every day and every night,Warm, and fresh, and sweet, and white.Do not chew the hemlock rank,Growing on the weedy bank;But the yellow cowslip eat,That will make it very sweet.Where the purple violet grows,Where the bubbling water flows,Where the grass is fresh and fine,Pretty cow, go there and dine.Jane TaylorPLAYGROUNDSIn summer I am very gladWe children are so small,For we can see a thousand thingsThat men can't see at all.They don't know much about the mossAnd all the stones they pass;They never lie and play amongThe forests in the grass;But when the snow is on the ground,And all the puddles freeze,I wish that I were very tall,High up above the trees.Laurence Alma-TademaSLEEP, BABY, SLEEPSleep, baby, sleep!Thy father watches his sheep;Thy mother is shaking the dreamland tree,And down comes a little dream on thee.Sleep, baby, sleep!Sleep, baby, sleep!The great stars are the sheep;The little stars are the lambs, I guess,And the gentle moon is the shepherdess.Sleep, baby, sleep!From the GermanA CHILD'S PRAYERWhen it gets dark, the birds and flowersShut up their eyes and say good night;And God, who loves them, counts the hoursAnd keeps them safe till it gets light.Dear Father! Count the hours to-night,When I'm asleep and cannot see;And in the morning may the lightShine for the birds and flowers and me!William Hawley Smith
At evening when I go to bedI see the stars shine overhead;They are the little daisies whiteThat dot the meadow of the night.And often while I'm dreaming so,Across the sky the moon will go;It is a lady, sweet and fair,Who comes to gather daisies there.For when at morning I arise,There's not a star left in the skies;She's picked them all and dropped them downInto the meadows of the town.
At evening when I go to bedI see the stars shine overhead;They are the little daisies whiteThat dot the meadow of the night.
And often while I'm dreaming so,Across the sky the moon will go;It is a lady, sweet and fair,Who comes to gather daisies there.
For when at morning I arise,There's not a star left in the skies;She's picked them all and dropped them downInto the meadows of the town.
A great many years ago the Greeks told beautiful stories about what they saw in the earth and in the sky and in the sea.
They said the Sun drove each day across the sky in a car of fire, and gave light and heat to men.
He always had a bow and arrows with him, and his arrows were the sunbeams.
When he shot them very hard and struck men with them, the men were said to be sun-struck, but when he let the arrows fall gently on the earth, they did only good.
The Sun was called Apollo.
He was said to be a beautiful young man with golden hair, and he made wonderful music on a kind of harp called a lyre.
Men loved him, but they were a little afraid of him, too; he was so bright and strong.
His sister was the Moon. Her name was Artemis, or Diana. She rode through the sky at night in a silver car, and she, too, had a bow and arrows.
Her bow was a silver bow, and her arrows were the moonbeams.
She loved hunting, and often at night she would come down to earth and roam through the woods with her bow in her hand and her arrows at her side or on her back.
In pictures she is always seen with a little new moon in her hair.
Artemis was so beautiful that men were afraid to look at her. It was said that if any man should look full at her he would lose his mind.
So when she came to those whom she did not wish to hurt, she covered herself with clouds.
For a time the good giant Orion helped Artemis in her hunting, for he too was a great hunter. Artemisloved him as well as she loved any one, but she was very cold and did not care much for anybody.
After a time Orion left her. He wanted to marry the daughter of a king in one of the islands of the sea. The king said that he might if he would drive all the wild beasts out of the island. Orion did this, but the king did not keep his word.
Instead of that, he put out the eyes of Orion, but Orion went to Apollo, and was made to see again.
Then Orion went back to help Artemis with her hunting, but Apollo did not like that and wished to get rid of him.
He did not wish, himself, to hurt Orion, so he made Artemis do it.
"Sister," he said to her one day, "some men say that you can shoot as well as I can, but we all know that is not so."
"I should like to know why it is not so!" said Artemis.
"Well, let us try," said Apollo. "Do you see that little black speck away out there in the sea?"
"Yes, I see it," said Artemis.
"Can you hit it?" asked Apollo.
"Indeed I can," said Artemis; and with that she let an arrow fly from her bow. It went straight through the black speck.
The black speck was the head of Orion. He was swimming back to Artemis from the country of the bad king.
The speck at once went under the water and was seen no more.
When Artemis found what she had done, she was very sad indeed. She could not bring Orion back to earth, but she took him up into the sky and put him among the stars, and there he is standing to this day.
If you will look up into the sky on any clear winter night, you can see him. Just before him is his dog. We call it the Dog Star.
The Sun and the Moon had a brother, the Summer Wind. His name was Hermes, but sometimes he was called Mercury.
He had shoes with wings on them, which always took him very quickly wherever he wished to go, and he had a magic cap which kept him from being seen.
He ran on errands for his father and his older brothers. He went everywhere, and he often picked up things that lay in his way, and that didn't belong to him.
One day, when he was a small child, he crept down to the seaside and there found the shell of a tortoise.He stretched some strings tightly across it, and blew upon the strings, and made wonderful music.
He called this thing a lyre.
On the same day, toward evening, he looked across the meadows and saw some beautiful white cows. His brother Apollo was looking after them.
"What fun it would be to drive those cows away!" he said.
So he crept up behind the cows while Apollo was not looking, and he drove them away. He drove them far, and at last shut them up in a cave, where he thought Apollo could not find them.
Apollo saw that the cows were gone, and went to look for them, but he had a hard time.
He thought that Hermes might have had something to do with them. So he went to Hermes.
Hermes was playing upon the lyre which he had made, and was singing gently to himself.
The music was so beautiful that Apollo forgot all about his cows.
"Where did you find that wonderful thing?" asked Apollo.
"O, I made it," said Hermes.
"Let me see it!" cried Apollo. "Show me how to play upon it."
Hermes showed him, and Apollo sat down and played until it grew dark.
"O, give me this thing! I must have it," said Apollo.
So Hermes gave it to him, and Apollo played upon it, gently at first, and then louder. He made such wild, sweet music as had never before been heard.
To pay for the lyre, Apollo gave Hermes a magic stick which would bring sleep to men and would stop all quarreling.
One day Hermes saw two snakesfighting. He touched them with the magic stick, and they stopped at once and wound themselves around it, and stayed there ever after.
In the pictures of Hermes you will see this magic stick with the snakes around it. You will see, too, the cap and the shoes, with the wings upon them.
When Hermes and Apollo had made these gifts to each other, Apollo said:
"Hermes, my dear boy, you like my white cows so well that I am going to let you take care of them. I shall not have much time to take care of cows now, for you know I am learning to play upon the lyre."
Hermes took care of the white cows after that, and on summer days he used to drive them across the blue meadows of the sky.
When the Greeks saw the white clouds running before the wind, they would say:
"It is Hermes driving his cows to pasture."
Hermes was so useful that Juno, the queen of the heavens, thought she must have a messenger, too. So she took Iris, a little sky fairy.
Iris lived up among the clouds, and played with the stars, and romped with the little winds.
At night she used to sleep in the silver cradle of the Moon.
Sometimes Apollo, the Sun, took her in his golden car. Sometimes she slipped down to earth with the rain. Sometimes she went to visit her grandfather, the gray old Sea.
Her grandfather was always glad to see her, and when she came down, he would hitch up his white sea horses and drive her over the tops of the waves. What fun that was!
Old grandfather Sea loved Iris very much, and Apollo loved her, and Juno loved her.
No one who saw her could help loving her; she was so bright and beautiful and good.
When Juno sent her down to the earth on errands, the old Sea always wanted her to stay.
But Apollo, the Sun, wanted her, too, and Juno wanted her.
At last the Sun and the Sea and the Air and the Rain all said they would make a bridge for Iris, so thatshe might go back and forth more quickly between the earth and the sky, on the errands of Juno.
The Earth brought the colors of all her beautiful flowers—rose, and blue, and violet, and yellow, and orange, and the green of the grass.
The Sea gave silver mist.
The Clouds gave gray and gold.
The Sun himself spun the bridge out of all these colors.
Then he fastened one end of it to the sky and hung a pot of gold on the other end, to keep it from blowing away; and it is said that the pot of gold is still there in the earth at the end of the rainbow bridge.
But no one has ever found it.
Thank you, pretty cow, that madePleasant milk to soak my bread,Every day and every night,Warm, and fresh, and sweet, and white.Do not chew the hemlock rank,Growing on the weedy bank;But the yellow cowslip eat,That will make it very sweet.Where the purple violet grows,Where the bubbling water flows,Where the grass is fresh and fine,Pretty cow, go there and dine.Jane Taylor
Thank you, pretty cow, that madePleasant milk to soak my bread,Every day and every night,Warm, and fresh, and sweet, and white.
Do not chew the hemlock rank,Growing on the weedy bank;But the yellow cowslip eat,That will make it very sweet.
Where the purple violet grows,Where the bubbling water flows,Where the grass is fresh and fine,Pretty cow, go there and dine.
Jane Taylor
In summer I am very gladWe children are so small,For we can see a thousand thingsThat men can't see at all.They don't know much about the mossAnd all the stones they pass;They never lie and play amongThe forests in the grass;But when the snow is on the ground,And all the puddles freeze,I wish that I were very tall,High up above the trees.Laurence Alma-Tadema
In summer I am very gladWe children are so small,For we can see a thousand thingsThat men can't see at all.
They don't know much about the mossAnd all the stones they pass;They never lie and play amongThe forests in the grass;
But when the snow is on the ground,And all the puddles freeze,I wish that I were very tall,High up above the trees.
Laurence Alma-Tadema
Sleep, baby, sleep!Thy father watches his sheep;Thy mother is shaking the dreamland tree,And down comes a little dream on thee.Sleep, baby, sleep!Sleep, baby, sleep!The great stars are the sheep;The little stars are the lambs, I guess,And the gentle moon is the shepherdess.Sleep, baby, sleep!From the German
Sleep, baby, sleep!Thy father watches his sheep;Thy mother is shaking the dreamland tree,And down comes a little dream on thee.Sleep, baby, sleep!
Sleep, baby, sleep!The great stars are the sheep;The little stars are the lambs, I guess,And the gentle moon is the shepherdess.Sleep, baby, sleep!
From the German
When it gets dark, the birds and flowersShut up their eyes and say good night;And God, who loves them, counts the hoursAnd keeps them safe till it gets light.Dear Father! Count the hours to-night,When I'm asleep and cannot see;And in the morning may the lightShine for the birds and flowers and me!William Hawley Smith
When it gets dark, the birds and flowersShut up their eyes and say good night;And God, who loves them, counts the hoursAnd keeps them safe till it gets light.
Dear Father! Count the hours to-night,When I'm asleep and cannot see;And in the morning may the lightShine for the birds and flowers and me!
William Hawley Smith