Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, THE COUNTRY SCHOOL, by BELLE RICHARDSON HARRISON


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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

THE COUNTRY SCHOOL, by                     Poet's Biography
First Line: Along the woodland path where flowers blow
Last Line: "o happy hearted little girls and boys."
Subject(s): Children; Schools; Childhood; Students


A LONG the woodland path where flowers blow,
Where lichens, ferns and hooded mosses grow,
Where robin redbreasts peep from branches tall,
And autumn leaves in rich profusion fall;
Along this path, with weeds and grass o'er-grown,
Where hide the sweetgum burr and fragrant cone,
A little band of eager girls and boys
A wake the sleeping echoes with their noise.

A down this woodland path the beech and bay
Are clustered round a house where ivies stray,
Above the door is graceful columbine,
And on the air a breath of muscadine.
The partridge lifts its head and whirs away,
The squirrel drops his nut nor dares to stay,
When comes this band of romping girls and boys
To wake the sleeping echoes with their noise.
Within the door the teacher's girlish face,
Though rudely framed, withal is full of grace;
Her hands uplifted swing the ancient bell,
And loud and louder doth its music swell.
"The sun is high and school begins to-day,
Come on, come on." its brazen tongue doth say
To all the joyous little girls and boys
Who wake the sleeping echoes with their noise.

"Come on, come on, improve your time to-day,
No longer loiter on the way to play,
To gather golden-rod and berries red
To twine in wreaths about each other's head.
Come, con your lessons o'er till school is out,
Then make the woods resound with laugh and shout;
Yea, wake the sleeping echoes with your noise,
O happy hearted little girls and boys."





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