Each one rings a merry
Ting-a-ling-a-ling!
For a sleigh-bell fairy
Hides inside to sing.
See them quake and quiver,
Up and downward tossed,
Seems as if they shiver
In the nipping frost!
Shiver into laughter,
Jolly little elves!
Till we laugh thereafter,
Merry as themselves!
THE RED-BIRD
Swept lightly by the south wind
The elm-leaves softly stirred,
And in their pale green clusters
There straightway bloomed a bird!
His glossy feathers glistened
With dyes as richly red
As any tulip flaming
From out the garden bed.
But ah, unlike the tulips,
In joyous strain, ere long,
This red-bird flower unfolded
A heart of golden song!