I. To A DREAM BABY

Oh, little child whose face I cannot see,

I feel your presence very near tonight,

I feel the warmth of you creep close to me...

The grey moths drift across the candlelight,

And tiny shadows sway across the floor,

Like wistful elves who do a fairy dance;

The wind is tapping softly at the door,

And rain is beating, like a silver lance,

Against the tightly curtained window pane.

Oh, little child whose face I cannot see,

The loneliness, the twilight, and the rain,

Have brought your dearness very close to me.

And though I rock with empty arms, I sing

A lullaby that I have made to croon

Into your drowsy shadow ear — a song

About the star sheep and the shepherd moon!