Arthur Edward Drummond Bliss, Sir: Two Nursery Rhymes (The Lied and Art Song Texts Page: Texts and Translations to Lieder, mélodies, canzoni, and other classical vocal music)


The thistles on the sandy flats
Are courtiers with crimson hats;
The ragworts, growing up so straight,
Are emperors who stand in state,
And march about, so proud and bold,
In crowns of fairy-story gold.

The people passing home at night
Rejoice to see the shining [sight]¹;
They quite [forget]² the sands and sea
Which are as grey as grey can be,
Nor even [heed]³ the gulls who cry
Like peevish children in the sky.

View text without footnotes
¹ Bliss: "light"
² Bliss: "forgot"
³ Bliss: "heard"

Input by Ted Perry

2. The dandelion

Language: English

Authorship

Frances Cornford (1886-1960)

Poems


The dandelion is brave and gay
And loves to sit beside the way;
A braver thing was never seen,
To praise the grass for growing green;
You never saw a gayer thing,
To sit and smile and praise the spring.

The children with their simple hearts,
The lazy men that come in carts,
The little dogs that lollop by,
They all have seen its shining eye,
Any every one of them would say
They never saw a thing so gay.

Input by Ted Perry