A fair little girl sat under a tree
Sewing as long as her eyes could see;
She smoothed her work and folded it right,
And said, “Dear work, good night, good night.”
Such a number of rooks flew 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,
“Dear 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.
