Good Night and Good Morning

Richard Monckton Milnes, Lord Houghton (1809–1885)

A FAIR little girl sat under a tree

Sewing as long as her eyes could see;

Then smoothed her work and folded it right,

And said, “Dear work, good night, good night!”

Such a number of rooks came over her head,

Crying, “Caw, caw!” on their way to bed,

She said, as she watched their curious flight,

“Little black things, good night, good night!”

The horses neighed, and the oxen lowed,

The sheep’s “Bleat! bleat!” came over the road;

All seeming to say, with a quiet delight,

“Good little girl, good night, good night!”

She did not say to the sun, “Good night!”

Though she saw him there like a ball of light;

For she knew he had God’s time to keep

All over the world and never could sleep.

The tall pink foxglove bowed his head;

The violets courtesied, and went to bed;

And good little Lucy tied up her hair,

And said, on her knees, her favorite prayer.

And, while on her pillow she softly lay,

She knew nothing more till again it was day;

And all things said to the beautiful sun,

“Good morning, good morning! our work is begun.”