When the voices of children are heard on the green,
And laughing is heard on the hill,
My heart is at rest within my breast,
And everything else is still.
"Then come home, my children, the sun is gone down,
And the dews of night arise;
Come, come, leave off play, and let us away
Till the morning appears in the skies."
"No, no, let us play, for it is yet day,
And we cannot go to sleep;
Besides, in the sky the little birds fly,
And the hills are all covered with sheep."
"Well, well, go and play till the light fades away,
And then go home to bed."
The little ones leaped and shouted and laughed
And all the hills echoed.
Isn't that nice? It makes me want to recite this to my children instead of saying, "Come to bed NOW!"
3 comments:
I have never read it, and I love it. William Blake is right up there with Emily Dickinson for me-- addictive verse, though so often I don't understand it. But I intoxicate myself on it! I think you should memorize it, and use it at bedtime. The only classic quote I remembered at bedtime was, "Good night, sweet prince, and hosts of angels sing thee to thy rest." Which is pretty depressing if you think of its original context. (It's a good thing none of our kids ever raised up in bed and said, "But mom, isn't that what they said when Hamlet. . .?")
I love this poem! My mom would recite poems to us and now, though very difficult, attempts to recite them to her grandchildren. I should read more poetry ( I say more but I should just do it period because I don't now) What a lovely way to approach life and situations, with a poem. You are an inspiration to me and has always been, a wonderful example! Also, very cute Easter pics, what a fun idea for an Easter picnic!
Well, at the very least, this is what you can say after you've chased them all in bed and the potty breaks/calls to you have ceased for the night. They're so much more peaceful when they're sleeping, aren't they?
And P.S. I think you would love this blog - this girl is saying it how it is, and I love it. http://talesofanordinaryhousewife.blogspot.com/
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