Buttercup gambolled all day long, Sharing the little one's mirth and song; Then, stealing along on misty gleams, Poppy came, bringing the sweetest dreams, Playing and dreaming, that was all, Till once the sleeper would not awake; Kissing the little face under the pall, We thought of the words the third flower spake, And we found, betimes, in a hallowed spot, The solace and peace of Forget-me-not.
Buttercup shareth the joy of day, Glinting with gold the hours of play; Bringeth the Poppy sweet repose, When the hands would fold and the eyes would close. And after it all,--the play and the sleep Of a little life,--what cometh then? To the hearts that ache and the eyes that weep, A wee flower bringeth God's peace again: Each one serveth its tender lot,-- Buttercup, Poppy, Forget-me-not.
A midi file of the music on the first page is available in the HTML edition of this text.
Page ix, "Dic" changed to "Dick" (Lydia Dick)
End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Second Book of Verse, by Eugene Field