[Editor: This poem by William Blocksidge (also known as William Baylebridge) was published in Songs o’ the South (1908).]
To a Child
Dear little maid, whose dainty mien
Doth shame the lilies fair,
I’ll thread thee a song of flowerets seen
Blowing most rich and rare.
Within thine eyes, then, I descry
Two lovely violets,
That hold the splendours of the sky
Deep in their silken nets.
Thy lips are roses, roses red,
Whence sweetest perfume slips;
And I would give a lot to wed
Their fragrance to my lips.
Thy cheeks are beds of lovely lilies,
Wherein carnations spring;
Thy golden locks are daffodillies,
Brushed by a sunbeam’s wing.
Dear little maid, whose dainty mien
Doth shame the lilies fair,
I’ve told thee of those flowerets seen
Blowing most rich and rare.
Source:
William Blocksidge, Songs o’ the South, London: Watts, 1908, pp. 6-7
Editor’s notes:
doth = (archaic) does
floweret = small flower; floret
mien = the air, bearing, demeanor, or manner of a person, especially as showing an attitude or personality
thee = (archaic) you
thou = (archaic) you
thy = (archaic) your
Leave a Reply