WE ARE SEVEN

PHOTO: WORDSWORTH's House
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" WE ARE SEVEN "

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I met a little cottage girl,
She was eight years old, she said;
Her hair was thick with many a curl
That clustered round her head.

"Sisters and brothers, little maid,
How many may you be ?"
"How many ? seven in all", she said
And, wondering, looked at me.

"An where are they, I pray you tell ?"
She answered, "Seven are we;
And two of us at Conway dwell,
And two are gone to sea;

"Two of us in the churchyard lie,
My sister and my brother;
And in the churchyard cottage I
Dwell near them with my mother."

You say that two at Conway dwell,
And two are gone to sea,
Yet you are seven; I pray you to tell,
Sweet maid, how this may be?"

Then did the little maid reply,
"Seven boys and girls are we;
Two of us in the churchyard lie,
Beneath the churchyard tree."

"You run about, my little maid,
Your limbs they are alive:
If two are in the churchyard laid
Then you are only five."

"Their graves are green, they may be seen,"
The little maid replied,
"twelve steps or more from my mother's door,
And they are side by side.

"My stockings there I often knit,
My 'kerchief there I hem;
And there upon the ground I sit,-
I sit and sing to them.

"And often after sunset, sir,
When it is light and fair,
I take my little porringer
And eat my supper there.

"The first that died was little Jane;
In bed she moaning lay,
Till God released her of her pain,
And then she went away.

"So in the churchyard she was laid;
And, all the summer dry,
Together round her grave we played,
My brother John and I.

"And when the ground was white with snow,
And I could run and slide,
My brother John was forced to go:
And he lies by her side."

"How many are you, then," said I,
"If they two are in heaven ?"
The little maiden would reply,
" O master ! we are seven."

But they are dead, those two are dead,
Their spirits are in heaven."-
"T'was throwing words away; for still,
The little maid would have her will,
Ans said, "Nay, we are seven"."




WORDSWORTH









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