A LITTLE fairy comes at night, Her eyes are blue, her hair is brown, With silver spots upon her wings, And from the moon she flutters down. She has a little silver wand, And when a good child goes to bed She waves her wand from right to left, And makes a circle round its head. And then it dreams of pleasant things, And trees that bear delicious fruit, Of arbours filled with dainty scents From lovely flowers that never fade; Bright flies that glitter in the sun, And glow-worms shining in the shade: And talking birds with gifted tongues, But when a bad child goes to bed, Then lions come with glaring eyes, To shed the blood of girls and boys. Then stormy waves rush on to drown, And serpents crawl along the ground. Then wicked children wake and weep, And wish the long black gloom away; But good ones love the dark, and find The night as pleasant as the day. ODE TO DR. KITCHENER. YE Muses nine inspire And stir up my poetic fire; Of Dr. Kitchener I fain would sing, Till pots, and pans, and mighty kettles ring. O culinary sage! (I do not mean the herb in use, That always goes along with goose) And clapt my tewah-diddle on my head. Who is there cannot tell, Thou leadest a life of living well? "What baron, or squire, or knight of the shire Lives half so well as a holy Fry-er?" In doing well thou must be reckon'd The first, and Mrs. Fry the second; And twice a Job,-for, in thy fev'rish toils, Thou wast all over roasts—as well as boils. Thou wast indeed no dunce, To treat thy subjects and thyself at once: His brains like thee, But few there be Could live so long on their receipts. What living soul or sinner Would slight thy invitation to a dinner, Ought with the Danaides to dwell, Draw gravy in a cullender, and hear For ever in his ear The pleasant tinkling of thy dinner bell. Immortal Kitchener! thy fame Shall keep itself when Time makes game Of other men's—yea, it shall keep, all weathers, And thou shalt be upheld by thy pen feathers. Yea, by the sauce of Michael Kelly! Thy name shall perish never, But be magnified for ever -By all whose eyes are bigger than their belly. |