Читать книгу Come Hither: A Collection of Rhymes and Poems for the Young of All Ages онлайн

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I can daunce, and also skyppe;

I can playe at the chery pytte;

And I can wystell you a fytte,[29]

Syres, in a whylowe ryne.[30]

Ye, syrs, and every daye

Whan I to scole shall take the waye

Some good mannes gardyn I wyll assaye,

Perys[31] and plommes to plucke.

I can spye a sparowes nest.

I wyll not go to scole but whan me lest,

For there begynneth a sory fest[32]

Whan the mayster sholde lyfte my docke.[33]

But, syrs, whan I was seven yere of age,

I was sent to the Worlde to takė wage.

And this seven yere I have ben his page

And kept his commaundėment....

36

The sheets were frozen hard, and they cut the naked hand;

The decks were like a slide, where a seaman scarce could stand;

The wind was a nor'wester, blowing squally off the sea;

And cliffs and spouting breakers were the only things a-lee.

They heard the surf a-roaring before the break of day;

But 'twas only with the peep of light we saw how ill we lay.

We tumbled every hand on deck instanter, with a shout,

And we gave her the maintops'l, and stood by to go about.