I had a little daughter
And she was given to me
To lead me gently backward
To the Heavenly Father's knee.
Lowell
APRIL NINTH
Did any one ever tell you
To "stop makin' such a noise,"
When you wuz a-playin' Injun,
An' war-whoopin' with the boys?
Did any one never tell you
Your manners wuz loud and bold?
Then I guess you are one of the grown-ups
And not a boy nine years old.
Exchange
APRIL TENTH
Let us call to mind the years before our little
daughter was born. We are now in the same condition
as then, except that the time she was with us
is to be counted as an added blessing. Let us not
ungratefully accuse fortune for what was given us
because we could not also have all that was desired.
We should not be like misers who never enjoy what
they have but only bewail what they lose.
Plutarch
APRIL ELEVENTH
And I, for one, would much rather;
If I could merit so sweet a thing,
Be the poet of little children
Than the laureate of a King.
Lucy Larcom
APRIL TWELFTH
Ah! Child, what are we, that our ears
Should hear you singing on your way,
Should have this happiness?
Swinburne
APRIL THIRTEENTH