enjoy the poems sample - simply charlotte mason · memorize and recite one poem each 12-week term....

A coupl� such as this, though it a�ear to ca�y no moral weight,

instructs our conscience more e�e�ually than many wise saws. As we

'inwardly dig�t,' reverence com� to us unawar�, gentlen�, a wiful

tendern� towards the past, a sense � continuance, and � a part to

play that shall n� be loud and discordant, but � a pi�e with the

�ole. �is is one � the 'l�ons never learned in schools' �ich com�

to each � us only as we discover it for ourselv�.

Many have a favourite po� for a year or two, to be discarded for an�her

and an�her. Some are ha�y enough to �nd the po� � their lif�ime in

Spenser, Wordsworth, Browning, for �ample; but, ��her it be for a

year or a life, l� us mark as we read, l� us learn and inwardly dig�t.

N�e how good this last word is. What we dig�t we �imilate, take into

ourselv�, so that it is part and parcel � us, and no longer separable.





Poetry is, perhaps, the most searching and intimate of our teachers. To know about such a poet and his works may be interesting, as it is to know about repoussé work; but in the latter case we must know how to use the tools before we get joy and service out of the art. Poetry, too, supplies us with tools for the modelling of our lives, and the use of these we must get at for ourselves. The line that strikes us as we read, that recurs, that we murmur over at odd moments––this is the line that

Poetry is, perhaps, the most searching and intimate of our teachers. To know about such a poet and his works may be interesting, as it is to know about repoussé work; but in the latter case we must know how to use the tools before we get joy and service out of the art. Poetry, too, supplies us with tools for the modelling of our lives, and the use of these we must get at for ourselves. The line that strikes us as we read, that recurs, that we murmur over at odd moments––this is the line

Simply Charlotte Mason presents

Sample

Compiled by Ruth SmithWith additional material by Sonya Shafer

Make poetry study simple and enjoyable!

�ank you for your interest in Enjoy the Poems.

�is sample contains the biography and two poems from the Robert Louis Stevenson volume, along with a sample schedule, and instructions.

It also includes the complete Table of Contents for each volume in the series.





















Robert Louis Stevenson



• Get to know a poet and his style through 26 complete poems and a living biography.

• Encourage imagination with helpful tips for Setting the Imaginary Stage.

• Nourish a love for poetic expression by allowing the poems to speak for themselves.

• Enjoy powerful use of language with occasional de�nitions.

• Gain con�dence with practical and inspiring Poetry Notes from Charlotte Mason and others.

• Cultivate good character through beautiful words well put.

“�e line that strikes us as we read, that recurs, that we murmur over at odd moments—this is the line that in�uences our living.”

—Charlotte Mason

Give your children the gift of poetry with the Enjoy the Poems series!

Charlotte MasonSimply

.com






















Robert Louis Stevenson Compiled by Ruth SmithWith additional material by Sonya Shafer


Enjoy the Poems of Robert Louis Stevenson


Enjoy the Poems of Robert Louis Stevenson© 2014 by Simply Charlotte Mason

All rights reserved. However, we grant permission to make printed copies or use this work on mul-tiple electronic devices for members of your immediate household. Quantity discounts are available for classroom and co-op use. Please contact us for details.

Cover Design: John Shafer

ISBN 978-1-61634-255-5 printedISBN 978-1-61634-259-3 electronic download

Published bySimply Charlotte Mason, LLC930 New Hope Road #11-892Lawrenceville, Georgia 30045simplycharlottemason.com

Printed by PrintLogic, Inc.Monroe, Georgia, USA

Enjoy the Poems of Robert Louis Stevenson

Suggested Schedule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4How to Enjoy the Poems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5Getting to Know Robert Louis Stevenson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

The PoemsSummer Sun . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9My Shadow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10Nest Eggs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11Block City. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12The Swing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13My Bed is a Boat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14From a Railway Carriage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15A Good Boy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16Foreign Lands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17Pirate Story . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18The Cow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19Happy Thought. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20Picture-Books in Winter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21The Wind . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22The Land of Nod. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23The Moon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24The Hayloft. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25Bed in Summer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26My Ship and I . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27The Lamplighter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28The Land of Counterpane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29A Visit from the Sea . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30The Sun’s Travels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31Armies in the Fire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32Looking-Glass River . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33Winter-Time. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Pages for Poem Illustrations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

4 simplycharlottemason.com

Suggested Schedule

To linger with this poet for a year, you might follow a schedule something like this. Also try to memorize and recite one poem each 12-week term.

Week 1: Read a new poem.Week 2: Read a new poem. Week 3: Read the poet’s biography and narrate it.Week 4: Read a new poem.Week 5: Read a new poem.Week 6: Enter the poet in your Book of Centuries.Week 7: Read a new poem.Week 8: Read a new poem.Week 9: Choose one of the previous poems and illustrate it.Week 10: Read a new poem.Week 11: Read a new poem.Week 12: Tell what you know about this poet.

Week 13: Read a new poem.Week 14: Read a new poem.Week 15: Read a new poem.Week 16: Read a new poem.Week 17: Children read aloud favorite poems so far.Week 18: Read a new poem.Week 19: Read a new poem.Week 20: Read a new poem.Week 21: Choose one of the previous poems and illustrate it.Week 22: Read a new poem.Week 23: Read a new poem.Week 24: Revisit favorite poems.

Week 25: Read a new poem.Week 26: Read a new poem.Week 27: Read a new poem.Week 28: Read a new poem.Week 29: Children read aloud favorite poems so far.Week 30: Read a new poem.Week 31: Read a new poem.Week 32: Read a new poem.Week 33: Choose one of the previous poems and illustrate it. Week 34: Read a new poem.Week 35: Read a new poem.Week 36: Revisit favorite poems.

simplycharlottemason.com 5

How to Enjoy the Poems

1. Gather the children and read a poem aloud at least once a week. Focus on one poet’s work for many months. Linger and get to know his or her ideas.

“ ‘Collections’ of poems are to be eschewed; but some one poet should have at least a year to himself, that he may have time to do what is in him towards cultivating the seeing eye, the hear-ing ear, the generous heart” (Vol. 5, p. 224).

2. Read complete poems, not just portions or snippets. We have included only complete poems in this book.

“Selections should be avoided; children should read the whole book or the whole poem to which they are introduced” (Vol. 6, p. 340).

3. Share poems that are suitable for your children during each season of life. “What can we do to ensure that the poetry our children learn shall open their eyes to beauty,

shall increase their joy? In all humility I would offer one suggestion on this point to-day, this: The poetry must be such as to delight them, (1) by being in itself delightful; and (2) by being suitable to their years” (“An Address on the Teaching of Poetry” by Rev. H. C. Beeching, The Parents’ Review, Vol. 3 (1892–93), edited by Charlotte Mason, pp. 893–898).

4. Understand that the purpose of poetry is to cultivate the imagination, right emotions, and the power of vivid expression.

“The purpose of poetry is to communicate or extend the joy of life by quickening our emo-tions. . . . It teaches us how to feel, by expressing for us, in the most perfect way, right human emotions, which we recognise as right, and come ourselves to share. It is good for all of us to be taught how to feel; to be taught how to feel in the presence of Nature; how to feel to one’s coun-try, to one’s lover, or wife, or child; to be taught to feel the mystery of life, the glory of it, the pathos of it; good for us to be shaken out of our lethargic absorption in ourselves, and to have our eyes anointed with salve, that we may look round us and rejoice, and lift up our hearts. . . .

“It will be readily seen that if the poems become real and vivid to them, the children gain, besides the immediate joy in the life represented, and the right training of the emotions by their right exercise thus administered (which I maintain is the true function of poetry), they gain, I say, besides this, exercise to their own powers of imagination; the wings of their own fancy become fledged, and they can fly at will. And, secondly, they gain skill in the use of language” (“An Address on the Teaching of Poetry” by Rev. H. C. Beeching, The Parents’ Review, Vol. 3 (1892–93), edited by Charlotte Mason, pp. 893–898).

5. Don’t turn the poetry readings into lessons. Give only enough explanation necessary to help your children realize the situation of the poem. We have included occasional notes to help you do this.

“Poetry must not on any pretence be made into a poetry lesson; all that is at enmity with joy must be banished from this ideal province. What one wants, of course, is that the poem shall become to the reader what it was to the writer; a few words may need explaining, but the ex-


planation must not be elaborate . . .; the chief thing will be to make sure that the child realises the facts, the situation” (“An Address on the Teaching of Poetry” by Rev. H. C. Beeching, The Parents’ Review, Vol. 3 (1892–93), edited by Charlotte Mason, pp. 893–898).

6. Allow your children time and space to feel the force and beauty of words. “The thing is, to keep your eye upon words and wait to feel their force and beauty; and, when

words are so fit that no other words can be put in their places, so few that none can be left out without spoiling the sense, and so fresh and musical that they delight you, then you may be sure that you are reading Literature, whether in prose or poetry” (Vol. 4, Book 1, p. 41).

7. Encourage your children to make the poetry their own. Let them

• Read it aloud, being careful to say beautiful words in a beautiful way.• Act it, presenting the dramatic poems in their own style.• Draw it, portraying a favorite scene in art.• Copy it, transcribing a favorite stanza in their best handwriting.• Memorize and recite it, conveying their own interpretation of the ideas.• Treasure it, entering favorite passages or phrases in a personal journal for years to come.


Getting to Know Robert Louis Stevenson

As a child Louis was very delicate and often ill. For years hardly a winter passed that he did not spend many days in bed. Edinburgh, Scotland, is extremely damp in winter and he tells us: “Many winters I never crossed the threshold, but used to lie on my face on the nursery floor, chalking or painting in water-colors the pictures in the illustrated newspapers; or sit up in bed with a little shawl pinned about my shoulders, to play with bricks or what not.”

Those who have read the Child’s Garden of Verses already know the doings of his childish days; for although those rhymes were not written until he was a grown man, he was “one of the few who do not forget their own lives” and “through the windows of this book” gives us a vivid and living picture of the boy who dwelt so much in a world of his own with his quaint thoughts.

If his body was frail, his spirit was strong and his power of imagination so great that he cheered himself through many a weary day by playing he was “captain of a tidy little ship,” a soldier, a fierce pirate, an Indian chief, or an explorer in foreign lands. Miles he travelled in his little bed.

In spite of his power for amusing himself, days like these would have gone far harder had it not been for two devoted people: his mother and his nurse, Alison Cunningham, or “Cummie” as he called her. His mother was devoted to him in every way and encouraged his love for reading and story-making. Cummie was like a second mother to him. She sang for him, danced for him, spun fine tales of pirates and smugglers, and read to him so dramatically that his mind was fired then and there with a longing for travel and adventure which he never lost.

He writes of her when speaking of long nights he lay awake unable to sleep because of a troublesome cough: “How well I remember her lifting me out of bed, carrying me to the window and showing me one or two lit windows up in Queen Street across the dark belt of garden, where also, we told each other, there might be sick little boys and their nurses waiting, like us, for the morning.”

When he was six years old, his Uncle David offered a Bible picture-book as a prize to the nephew who could write the best history of Moses. This was Louis’s first real literary attempt. He was not able to write himself, but dictated to his mother and illustrated the story and its cover with pictures which he designed and painted himself. He won the prize and from that time, his mother says, “it was the desire of his heart to be an author.”

And travel and write he did! His longing for adventure took him on a canoe trip through Belgium and France, on a hike with a donkey through the mountains in Europe, across the ocean to America and cross-country by train to California, and finally on a tour around the Pacific Ocean and the South Seas, where he happily settled on an island of Samoa, and there he stayed for the rest of his life.

During these journeys, he wrote accounts of his travels, many essays and short stories from his imagination, poetry about his childhood, and several well-loved books that you may know. One summer while on holiday in Scotland, rainy weather

Stevenson lived 1850—1894.


forced him and his family indoors for several days. To amuse themselves, he and his stepson created a map of an imaginary island, coloring it and inventing all kinds of notes about it. A few weeks later the story of Treasure Island was born. Perhaps you have also heard of The Black Arrow or his book, Kidnapped, which, you may like to know, he considered “infinitely my best, and, indeed, my only good story.”

Helpful Biography Sources

Overton, Jacqueline M. The Life of Robert Louis Stevenson for Boys and Girls. Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1915.

Iles, George, editor. Little Masterpieces of Autobiography, Volume 4 of the Library of Little Masterpieces in Six Volumes. Doubleday, Page & Company, 1913.

http://www.robert-louis-stevenson.org


Setting the Imaginary Stage: It’s a good idea to read the title of the poem and prepare a mental canvas for the picture the poet is going to describe.

SUMMER SUN

Great is the sun, and wide he goesThrough empty heaven without repose;And in the blue and glowing daysMore thick than rain he showers his rays.

Though closer still the blinds we pullTo keep the shady parlour cool,Yet he will find a chink or twoTo slip his golden fingers through.

The dusty attic spider-cladHe, through the keyhole, maketh glad;And through the broken edge of tilesInto the laddered hay-loft smiles.

Meantime his golden face aroundHe bares to all the garden ground,And sheds a warm and glittering lookAmong the ivy’s inmost nook.

Above the hills, along the blue,Round the bright air with footing true,To please the child, to paint the rose,The gardener of the World, he goes.


MY SHADOW

I have a little shadow that goes in and out with me,And what can be the use of him is more than I can see.He is very, very like me from the heels up to the head;And I see him jump before me, when I jump into my bed.

The funniest thing about him is the way he likes to grow—Not at all like proper children, which is always very slow;For he sometimes shoots up taller like an india-rubber ball,And he sometimes gets so little that there’s none of him at all.

He hasn’t got a notion of how children ought to play,And can only make a fool of me in every sort of way.He stays so close beside me, he’s a coward you can see;I’d think shame to stick to nursie as that shadow sticks to me!

One morning, very early, before the sun was up,I rose and found the shining dew on every buttercup;But my lazy little shadow, like an arrant sleepy-head,Had stayed at home behind me and was fast asleep in bed.

Poetry Note: When reading aloud, breathe through your nose, not your mouth.

Arrant means “complete” or “utter.”





















Emily Dickinson

Emily D

ickinson



Enjoy the Poems of Emily Dickinson

Suggested Schedule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4How to Enjoy the Poems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5Getting to Know Emily Dickinson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

The Poems“I’m nobody! Who are you?” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9The Sea of Sunset . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10“Perhaps you’d like to buy a flower?” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11The Secret . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12The Grass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13“Heart not so heavy as mine” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14Autumn. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15Purple Clover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16The Lost Thought . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17“I had no time to hate, because” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18The Railway Train . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19A Book . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20“If you were coming in the fall”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21The Lost Jewel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22May-Flower. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23Hope. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24To March . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25In the Garden . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26The Show . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27“A thought went up my mind to-day” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28The Snake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29Returning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30The Wind’s Visit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31The Snow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32Memorials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33“This world is not conclusion”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34






















Oliver Wendell Holmes

Oliver Wendell Holmes Compiled by Ruth Smith

With additional material by Sonya Shafer


Enjoy the Poems of Oliver Wendell Holmes

Suggested Schedule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4How to Enjoy the Poems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5Getting to Know Oliver Wendell Holmes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

The PoemsTo a Blank Sheet of Paper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9The Opening of the Piano . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11The Chambered Nautilus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12To a Caged Lion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13Sun and Shadow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14Union and Liberty. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15Opening the Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17The Last Leaf. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18The Toadstool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20A Ballad of the Boston Tea-Party . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21To an Insect. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24The Last Reader. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26The Two Armies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28Never or Now . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30Old Ironsides. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31To the Portrait of “A Gentleman” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32A Sea Dialogue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34Lexington . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36Departed Days . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38A Roman Aqueduct. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39The Two Streams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40A Sun-Day Hymn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41For the Services in Memory of Abraham Lincoln . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42Nearing the Snow-Line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43The Voiceless . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44An Old-Year Song . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45






















Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Henry W

adsworth Longfellow Compiled by Ruth SmithWith additional material by Sonya Shafer


Enjoy the Poems of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Suggested Schedule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4How to Enjoy the Poems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5Getting to Know Henry Wadsworth Longfellow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

The PoemsThe Arrow and the Song . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9Snow-Flakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10The Village Blacksmith . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11Sunrise on the Hills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13The Rainy Day . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14The Children’s Hour . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15Sand of the Desert in an Hour-Glass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17The Light of Stars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19Something Left Undone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21The Old Clock on the Stairs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22The Singers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24The Wreck of the Hesperus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25Rain in Summer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28The Bridge. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31Curfew . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33The Secret of the Sea . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34Daylight and Moonlight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36Children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37A Day of Sunshine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39The Lighthouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40Christmas Bells . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42The Building of the Ship . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43Maidenhood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53The Ladder of St. Augustine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55The Day Is Done. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57A Psalm of Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59






















Carl Sandburg

Carl Sandburg



Enjoy the Poems of Carl Sandburg

Suggested Schedule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4How to Enjoy the Poems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5Getting to Know Carl Sandburg . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

The PoemsPrairie Waters by Night . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11Laughing Corn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12Manual System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13Plowboy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14Goldwing Moth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15The Year . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16Moonset . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17Fog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18Psalm of Those Who Go Forth Before Daylight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19Fish Crier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20Docks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21Corn Hut Talk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22Buffalo Dusk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23Weeds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24Horses and Men in Rain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25Child Margaret . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26Mask . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27Flying Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28Testament . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29Bronzes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30Work Gangs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31Languages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33I Am The People, The Mob . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34Under A Telephone Pole . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35North Atlantic. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36Choose . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39






















Alfred, Lord Tennyson

Alfred, Lord Tennyson Compiled by Ruth SmithWith additional material by Sonya Shafer


Enjoy the Poems of Alfred, Lord Tennyson

Suggested Schedule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4How to Enjoy the Poems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5Getting to Know Alfred, Lord Tennyson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

The PoemsThe Brook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9Ring Out, Wild Bells. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11The Eagle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12Break, Break, Break . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13The Charge of the Light Brigade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14Song—The Owl . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16Second Song—To the same . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17Lady Clare. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18The Old Home . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21The Sleeping Beauty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22Nothing Will Die . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23All Things Will Die . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24The Kraken . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26The Mermaid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27The Deserted House . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29The Beggar Maid. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30Song [“The winds, as at their hour of birth”] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31The Poet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32Circumstance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34Song [“A spirit haunts the year’s last hours”] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35The Lady of Shalott . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36The Death of the Old Year. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41On a Mourner. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43Amphion. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45A Farewell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48The Poet’s Song . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49






















John Greenleaf Whittier

John Greenleaf Whittier Compiled by Ruth Smith

With additional material by Sonya Shafer


Enjoy the Poems of John Greenleaf Whittier

Suggested Schedule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4How to Enjoy the Poems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5Getting to Know John Greenleaf Whittier. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

The PoemsInvocation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11April . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12The Barefoot Boy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13Forgiveness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16First-Day Thoughts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17Our State . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18The Fishermen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19A Dream of Summer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22The Pumpkin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23Barbara Frietchie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25The Drovers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27My Dream. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30Trust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33The Frost Spirit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34The Reward . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36The Kansas Emigrants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37In Peace. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38All’s Well . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39The Ship-Builders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40For an Autumn Festival . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43My Birthday . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45The Mayflowers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47Red Riding-Hood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49The Wish of To-Day . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51The Lake-Side . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52The Clear Vision . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54


enjoy the poems sample - simply charlotte mason · memorize and recite one poem each 12-week term....

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