| |
| I KNOW a way | |
| Of hearing what the larks and linnets say: | |
| The larks tell of the sunshine and the sky; | |
| The linnets from the hedges make reply, | |
| And boast of hidden nests with mocking lay. | 5 |
| |
| I know a way | |
| Of keeping near the rabbits at their play: | |
| They tell me of the cool and shady nooks | |
| Where waterfalls disturb the placid brooks | |
| That I may go and frolic in the spray. | 10 |
| |
| I know a way | |
| Of catching dewdrops on a night in May, | |
| And threading them upon a spear of green, | |
| That through their sides translucent may be seen | |
| The sparkling hue that emeralds display. | 15 |
| |
| I know a way | |
| Of trapping sunbeams as they nimbly play | |
| At hide-and-seek with meadow-grass and flowers, | |
| And holding them in store for dreary hours | |
| When winds are chill and all the sky is gray. | 20 |
| |
| I know a way | |
| Of stealing fragrance from the new-mown hay | |
| And storing it in flasks of petals made, | |
| To scent the air when all the flowers fade | |
| And leave the woodland world to sad decay. | 25 |
| |
| I know a way | |
| Of coaxing snowflakes in their flight to stay | |
| So still awhile, that, as they hang in air, | |
| I weave them into frosty lace, to wear | |
| About my head upon a sultry day. | 30 |
| |
