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SONGS OF WOMANHOOD

       *       *       *       *       *

_BY THE SAME AUTHOR._

_Uniform with this Volume._

REALMS OF UNKNOWN KINGS.


=The Athenaeum.=--'_In this volume the critic recognises with sudden
joy the work of a true poet._'

=The Saturday Review.=--'_It is a book in which deep feeling speaks
... and it has something of that essentially poetical thought, the
thought that sees, which lies deeper than feeling._'

LONDON: GRANT RICHARDS.

       *       *       *       *       *


SONGS OF WOMANHOOD

by

LAURENCE ALMA TADEMA







Grant Richards
48 Leicester Square
London
1903

Edinburgh: Printed by T. and A. Constable




A great number of the following verses are already known to readers of
_The Herb o' Grace_, and of the little reprint, _Songs of Childhood_.
As these pamphlets, however, did not reach the public, it has been
thought advisable to re-issue the verses in book-form, together with
three or four more collected from various reviews, and a number that
are here printed for the first time.

                                                           L.A.T.




Contents


                                                             PAGE

CHILDHOOD

    KING BABY                                                   3

    A BLESSING FOR THE BLESSED                                  5

    TO RAOUL BOUCHARD                                           8

    TO-DAY AND TO-MORROW                                       10

    THE NESTING HOUR                                           11

    THE LITTLE SISTER--Bath-time                               12
                       Bed-time                                13

    A TWILIGHT SONG                                            14

    A WINTRY LULLABY                                           15

    THE WARM CRADLE                                            16

    THE DROOPING FLOWER                                        17

    MOTHERS IN THE GARDEN--I.                                  18
                          II.                                  19

    THE GRAVEL PATH                                            20

    THE NEW PELISSE                                            21

    SOLACE                                                     22

    STRANGE LANDS                                              23

    MARCH MEADOWS--A Lark                                      24
                   Lambs                                       25

    THE ROBIN                                                  26

    THE MOUSE                                                  27

    THE BAT                                                    28

    THE SWALLOW                                                29

    SNOWDROPS                                                  30

    FROST                                                      32

    APPLES                                                     33

    LONELY CHILDREN--I.                                        34
                    II.                                        35

    PLAYGROUNDS                                                36

    FAIRINGS                                                   38

    THE FLOWER TO THE BUD                                      40

    SIX SONGS OF GIRLHOOD

    LOVE AND THE MAIDENS                                       43

    AWAKENINGS                                                 44

    THE CLOUDED SOUL                                           46

    THE HEALER                                                 47

    THE OPEN DOOR                                              48

    THE FUGITIVE                                               49


THE FAITHFUL WIFE                                              53


WOMANHOOD

    A WOMAN TO HER POET                                        63

    THE INFIDEL                                                64

    LOVE WITHIN VOWS                                           65

    THE EXILE                                                  66

    THE SCAR INDELIBLE                                         67

    REVULSION                                                  68

    THE CAPTIVE                                                69

    POSSESSION'S ANGUISH                                       70

    TREASURES OF POVERTY                                       72

    SOLITUDE                                                   73

    THE HEART ASLEEP                                           74

    ADVERSITY                                                  75

    FACES OF THE DEAD                                          76

    THE SLEEPER                                                80

    STARS                                                      81

    TRELAWNY'S GRAVE                                           82

    V.R.I.--JANUARY 22, 1901                                   83

    LINES ON A PICTURE BY MARY GOW                             84

    TO SERENITY                                                85


ELEVEN SONNETS                                                 89


THE OPEN AIR

    SUNSHINE IN FEBRUARY                                      103

    THE CUCKOO                                                104

    A SONG IN THE MORNING                                     107

    IN A LONDON SQUARE                                        109

    THE CALL OF THE GREEN                                     111

    SUMMER ENDING                                             112

    NEAR AUTUMN                                               114

    NOVEMBER                                                  115

    THE COMMON WEALTH                                         117




CHILDHOOD




King Baby


      King Baby on his throne
    Sits reigning O, sits reigning O!
      King Baby on his throne
    Sits reigning all alone.

      His throne is Mother's knee,
    So tender O, so tender O!
      His throne is Mother's knee,
    Where none may sit but he.

      His crown it is of gold,
    So curly O, so curly O!
      His crown it is of gold,
    In shining tendrils rolled.

      His kingdom is my heart,
    So loyal O, so loyal O!
      His kingdom is my heart,
    His own in every part.

      Divine are all his laws,
    So simple O, so simple O!
      Divine are all his laws,
    With Love for end and cause.

      King Baby on his throne
    Sits reigning O, sits reigning O!
      King Baby on his throne
    Sits reigning all alone.




A Blessing for the Blessed


    When the sun has left the hill-top,
      And the daisy-fringe is furled,
    When the birds from wood and meadow
      In their hidden nests are curled,
    Then I think of all the babies
      That are sleeping in the world....

    There are babies in the high lands
      And babies in the low,
    There are pale ones wrapped in furry skins
      On the margin of the snow,
    And brown ones naked in the isles,
      Where all the spices grow.

    And some are in the palace
      On a white and downy bed,
    And some are in the garret
      With a clout beneath their head,
    And some are on the cold hard earth,
      Whose mothers have no bread.

    O little men and women,
      Dear flowers yet unblown!
    O little kings and beggars
      Of the pageant yet unshown!
    Sleep soft and dream pale dreams now,
      To-morrow is your own....

    Though some shall walk in darkness,
      And others in the light,
    Though some shall smile and others weep
      In the silence of the night,
    When Life has touched with many hues
      Your souls now clear and white:

    God save you, little children!
      And make your eyes to see
    His finger pointing in the dark
      Whatever you may be,
    Till one and all, through Life and Death,
      Pass to Eternity....




To Raoul Bouchard


    Dear were your kisses, baby boy,
      Your weight upon my arm:
    Gay were your tuneful cries of joy
      As I danced you round the farm:
    And sweet your softness when we lay
    Laughing and cooing in the hay.

    The summer sun will shine again,
      Old arms will mow and reap;
    There'll be new flowers on the plain,
      New lambs among the sheep;
    But never in this world of men
    Shall we two be as we were then.

    Your feet have touched the ground, my bird,
      And now your wondering eyes
    Will gaze no more as if they heard
      A seraph in the skies:
    A little boy, with leap and shout
    You'll wildly chase your dreams about.

    But when you are a man, soft thing,
      And life has made you stern,
    May we who watched you in your spring
      Still feel our babe return
    In hallowed moments, such as shine
    When thought or deed makes man divine.




To-day and To-morrow


    Little hands--what will you grasp
      When you leave this nest, O?
    Little arms--what will you clasp
      Against that tender breast, O?
    Cling to mother's finger, babe,
      Throw sweet arms about me!
    Here no noons may linger, babe,
      Soon you'll love without me.

    Little toes--where will you turn,
      East or south or west, O?
    Little feet--what sands that burn
      Will you soon have pressed, O?
    Lie on mother's knee, my own,
      Dance your heels about me!
    Apples leave the tree, my own,
    Soon you'll live without me....




The Nesting Hour


    Robin-friend has gone to bed,
    Little wing to hide his head--
    Mother's bird must slumber too
    Just as baby Robins do--
    When the stars begin to rise,
    Birds and babies close their eyes.




The Little Sister


BATH-TIME:

        Baby's got no legs at all,
    They're soft and pinky, crumpled things;
        If he stood up he'd only fall:
    But then, you see, he's used to wings.


BED-TIME:

        Baby baby bye,
        Close your little eye!
    When the dark begins to creep,
    Tiny-wees must go to sleep.

        Lammy lammy lie,
        I am seven, I;
    Little boys must sleep and wait,
    If they want their bed-time late.

        Fidgy fidgy fie,
        There's no need to cry!
    Soon you'll never dress in white,
    But sit up working half the night....




A Twilight Song


        Baby moon, 'tis time for bed,
          Owlet leaves his nest now;
        Hide your little horned head
          In the twilight west now;
    When you're old and round and bright,
    You shall stay and shine all night.

        Baby girl is going too
          In her bed to creep now;
        She is little, just like you,
          Time it is to sleep now;
    When she's old and tired and wise,
    She'll be glad to close her eyes.




A Wintry Lullaby


        Blow, wind, blow,
    The fields are white with snow--
    Sleeping daisies, deep and warm,
    Cannot hear the Winter storm.

        Freeze, air, freeze,
    The rime is on the trees--
    Sleeping buds within the bough,
    Dream of spring and cuckoos now.

        Turn, earth, turn,
    The flames of life do burn--
    Sleeping girl, my baby dove,
    Knows no world but mother's love.




The Warm Cradle


        Hush, baby, hush,
    Sweet robin's in the bush--
    All the birdies lie so quiet,
    Won't my little dicky try it?
        Hush, baby, hush.

        Sleep, baby, sleep,
    The lammies love the sheep--
    Woolly babes all nestle cosy,
    Lie, my lambkin, warm and rosy,
        Sleep, baby, sleep.

        Dream, baby, dream,
    Our feet are in the stream--
    Stones below but stars above, child,
    Life is warm so long we love, child,
        Dream, baby, dream.




The Drooping Flower


    Baby's rather ill to-night,
    Little face is long and white,
    Eyes are all too large and bright--
    What shall mother do now?

    Never leave him out of sight,
    Hold him warm and still and tight,
    Make him well with all her might,
    That's what she will do now.




Mothers in the Garden


I

      Wagtail--pied Wagtail--
    What tremor's in your breast?
    On nimble feet, when we draw near,
    You run about to hide your fear,
    As if to say: There's nothing here,
        I have no nest....

      Wagtail--pied Wagtail--
    We too their voices heard;
    Away then to the water-side,
    And fetch the food for which they cried;
    From us there is no need to hide,
        My dainty bird.

II

    The thrushes' nest has fallen
    From the ivy on the wall:
    The dear blue eggs are broken,
    All broken by the fall.

    But we heard a song at sundown
    That said: O tears are vain!--
    And babe and I ceased grieving:
    We think they will build again.




The Gravel Path


        Tiny mustn't frown
        When she tumbles down;
    If the wind should change--Ah me,
    What a face her face would be!

        Rub away the dirt,
        Say she wasn't hurt;
    What a world 'twould be--O my,
    If all who fell began to cry!




The New Pelisse


    Baby's got a new pelisse,
    Very soft and very neat--
    Like a lammy in her fleece
    She's all white from head to feet.

    Thirty lambs each gave a curl,
    Mother sewed them, stitch by stitch--
    All to clothe a baby-girl:
    Don't you think she's very rich?




Solace


      Whom does Miss belong to?
    Just to Mother, Mother only:
    That's whom Miss belongs to,
    --And Mother's never lonely.

      Whom's this little song to?
    Just to Baby, Baby only:
    That's whom little song's to,
    --And Baby's never lonely.




Strange Lands


      Where do you come from, Mr. Jay?--
    'From the land of Play, from the land of Play.'
      And where can that be, Mr. Jay?--
        'Far away--far away.'

      Where do you come from, Mrs. Dove?--
    'From the land of Love, from the land of Love.'
      And how do you get there, Mrs. Dove?--
        'Look above--look above.'

      Where do you come from, Baby Miss?--
    'From the land of Bliss, from the land of Bliss.'
      And what is the way there, Baby Miss?--
        'Mother's kiss--mother's kiss.'




March