He stays so close beside me, he's a coward you can see; I'd think shame to stick to nursie as that shadow sticks to me! Foreign Children 34 Little Indian, Sioux or Crow, Little frosty Eskimo, Little Turk or Japanee, Oh! don't you wish that you were me? Looking-glass River 42 We can see our coloured faces Floating on the shaken pool [Pg xvi] The Hayloft 48 Oh, what a joy to clamber there, Oh, what a place for play, With the sweet, the dim, the dusty air, The happy hills of hay! North-west Passage 50 And face with an undaunted tread The long black passage up to bed. Picture-books in Winter 64 Water now is turned to stone Nurse and I can walk upon; Still we find the flowing brooks In the picture story-books. The Little Land 74 I have just to shut my eyes To go sailing through the skies— To go sailing far away To the pleasant Land of Play; The Flowers 84 All the names I know from nurse: Gardener's garters, Shepherd's purse, Bachelor's buttons, Lady's smock, And the Lady Hollyhock. To Auntie 100 What did the other children do? And what were childhood, wanting you? A CHILD'S GARDEN OF VERSES BY ROBERT LOVIS STEVENSON ILLVSTRATED—BY CHARLES ROBINSON. NEW YORK: CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS LONDON: IOHN LANE. 1895 Copyright 1895, by Charles Scribner's Sons CONTENTS Bed in Summer Page 3 A Thought 5 At the Seaside 6 Young Night Thought 7 Whole Duty of Children 9 Rain 10 Pirate Story 11 Foreign Lands 13 Windy Nights 15 Travel 17 Singing 20 Looking Forward 21 A Good Play 22 Where Go the Boats? 24 [Pg xii] Auntie's Skirts Page 26 The Land of Counterpane 27 The Land of Nod 29 My Shadow 32 System 34 A Good Boy 36 Escape at Bedtime 38 Marching Song 40 The Cow 42 Happy Thought 44 The Wind 45 Keepsake Mill 47 Good and Bad Children 49 Foreign Children 51 The Sun's Travels 53 The Lamplighter 55 My Bed is a Boat 57 The Moon 59 The Swing 62 Time to Rise 64 Looking-Glass River 65 Fairy Bread 67 From a Railway Carriage 68 Winter-Time 70 The Hayloft 72 Farewell to the Farm 74 [Pg xiii] North-West Passage 1. Good Night Page 76 2. Shadow March 77 3. In Port 78 THE CHILD ALONE The Unseen Playmate 81 My Ship and I 83 My Kingdom 85 Picture Books in Winter 87 My Treasures 89 Block City 91 The Land of Story-Books 93 Armies in the Fire 95 The Little Land 97 [Pg xiv] GARDEN DAYS Night and Day Page 103 Nest Eggs 107 The Flowers 110 Summer Sun 112 The Dumb Soldier 114 Autumn Fires 117 The Gardener 119 Historical Associations 121 ENVOYS To Willie and Henrietta 125 To my Mother 127 To Auntie 128 To Minnie 129 To my Name-Child 133 To any Reader 136 A CHILD'S GARDEN of VERSES