I dreaded that first Robin, so, 1
But He is mastered, now,
I'm accustomed to Him grown,
He hurts a little, though－
I thought If I could only live 5
Till that first Shout got by－
Not all Pianos in the Woods
Had power to mangle me－
I dared not meet the Daffodils－9
For fear their Yellow Gown
Would pierce me with a fashion
So foreign to my own－
I wished the Grass would hurry－13
So－when 'twas time to see－
He'd be too tall, the tallest one
Could stretch－to look at me－
I could not bear the Bees should come, 17
I wished they'd stay away
In those dim countries where they go,
What word had they, for me?
They're here, though; not a creature failed－21
No Blossom stayed away
In gentle deference to me－
The Queen of Calvary－
Each one salutes me, as he goes, 25
And I, my childish Plumes,
Lift, in bereaved acknowledgment
Of their unthinking Drums－
But He is mastered, now,
I'm accustomed to Him grown,
He hurts a little, though－
I thought If I could only live 5
Till that first Shout got by－
Not all Pianos in the Woods
Had power to mangle me－
I dared not meet the Daffodils－9
For fear their Yellow Gown
Would pierce me with a fashion
So foreign to my own－
I wished the Grass would hurry－13
So－when 'twas time to see－
He'd be too tall, the tallest one
Could stretch－to look at me－
I could not bear the Bees should come, 17
I wished they'd stay away
In those dim countries where they go,
What word had they, for me?
They're here, though; not a creature failed－21
No Blossom stayed away
In gentle deference to me－
The Queen of Calvary－
Each one salutes me, as he goes, 25
And I, my childish Plumes,
Lift, in bereaved acknowledgment
Of their unthinking Drums－
(F.347/J.348)
[1] I:: Queen of the meadow, or meadow-sweet.
[2] He:: a bird, robin, nesting on the meadow-sweet.
[3] grown:: the robin nestling there.
[6] first Shout:: the robin's first hatch.
[15] He, tall:: the grass will be tall enough to cover the meadow-sweet.
[17–20] not bear, word:: the meadow-sweet is embarassed being nested by a bird.
[24] Queen:: Queen of the meadow.
[25] he goes:: the robin leaves.
[26] Plumes:: tha plant's flowers look like plumes.
So the boat floated quietly on, till they came to the little island they had called 'Meadow-sweet,' from its being in summer and autumn a feathery mass of white foam-like plumes of that beautiful 'Queen of the meadow.' ─ The Monthly Packet of Evening Readings (1854)
When the gardener took away the old turf, he found a robin's nest with four eggs, in the grass; he took it up very carefully, and carried it to ano?ther part of the lawn, which was finished. ─ Natural History in Stories for Little Children (1854)