—A simple child,
That lightly draws its breath,
And feels its life in every limb,
What should it know of death?
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.
She had a rustic, woodland air,
And she was wildly clad;
Her eyes were fair, and very fair;
—Her beauty made me glad.
"Sisters and brothers, little maid,
How many may you be?"
"How many? Seven in all," she said,
And wondering looked at me.
"And 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 ye are seven! — I pray you 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 ye 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,
And sing a song 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 sister 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, when the grass was 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?"
Quick was the little maid's 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,
And say, "Nay, we are seven!"
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From guest muhammad hussain marri (contact)
it is the masterpiece poem fo wordsworth.i am reallu impressed and when anybody read this poem.his eyes will shed tears -
This is a very powerful ad moving poem, written in such an unassuming way, simple terms to understand such depths of things, like the vision of a child, when the most complex things become so direct...when love exists, then that settles so many other questions... remarkable...PK
[thanks Mari- for pointing ths one out to me] -
This poem's title caught my attention for a personal reason, and am very glad I saw it. This poem isn't only beautiful but very touching. How the heart and mind of a child keep holding love and memories alive.
Wonderful read! -
From guest emma wright (contact)
"in the churchyard lie, Beneath the churchyard tree" it is true to this day in Conway North wales if you like this poem its worth a visit -
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"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."
really sad but really heart touching stanza, i think this is the best of wordsworth, may he have more better from it, but for me this is the best of all. -
Very Nice poem
the poem is extra soft and simple.
In my Collection of Wordsworth's poem ,the first stanza of the poem is;
"—A simple child, dear brother Jim,
That lightly draws its breath,
And feels its life in every limb,
What should it know of death?"
I think its another version of the poem.
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this is my bestttttttt poem since i was 13 yrs old
in fact i know it by heart 
with commas and full stops wordsworth is a genious and he lives up till now with his brilliant poetry
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From guest Matty (contact)
To me this poem shows the fact that the little girl believes that although her brother and sister are dead they are not gone, this to me does not show ignorance but a greater understanding then the adult who is talking to her. -
From guest Caitie (contact)
Clearly the poem is meant to convey the innocence of the young girl, which is a direct contrast to the overwhelming reason associated with the adult. What we see in this poem is Wordsworth attempting to show the loss of connection to death the adult has, because modern ideology has become ingrained in his way of thinking and looking at the world. This poem can be compared to Blake's poems titles Songs of Innocence and Experience, wherin we observe how one who experiences hardships and sees the harsh nature of reality looks at the world differently than the voice of inocence, which speaks in this poem. Also, note the stanza form, and the way which this poem almost seems to require the reader to sing the stanzas, much like a child would. Ultimately, this poem foreshadows the attitude the child will eventually adapt, and forces the reader to question whether the state of childlike innocence is idealized, or meant to be pitied. -
Full of innocence
this is one of the very sweet poems written by wordsworth.every time i read this i am out of the world.i have seen many such cute little fairies who dont know what is death. -
Romantic
From guest michelle (contact)
hmm some of you are also missing the fact that this poem was written during the Romantic Period...hence the simple language and direct criticism of the Enlightenment..the poem is incredibly "deep" yet is able to convey its message without the use of "fluffy" words...i absolutely love this poem! -
Knowledge and Innocence
From guest Prince Boakye (contact)
This poem deals with the question of innocence as against the knowledge of certain realities of life. Being innocent of the negative impact of the condition we may find ourselves in on us(that is in a case like the girl missing her siblings forever but not knowing that ) may keep us "happy and glad". But when the innocent loses innocence, they turn to infect others with their knowledge. Children are basically innocent of many things. That is what keeps them always joyous and fruitful. -
This reminds me of my friend, whose brother died when he was ten years old. Her parents still say that they have six kids, even though only five are living, and they speak of their son with the same affectionate reverence that this girl uses when she talks about her dead siblings.
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Wonderful
The only thing I can say is, "OH, MY GOD!" Hhad written this with such air, and grace! The mystery behind the girl gave be goosebumps! -
Great job capturing the mode of Wordsworth, the style of the era, the compelling story of the ballad and a spirit of the emergence of youth through the understanding of age. This dawning from innocence is remarkably well told.
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this is beautiful poem,i have ever read.how gracefully the poet expressed the feeling of girl.it is deep in meaning.
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When for the first time i read this poem i got amused.Wat the beautiful expressons of innocence this poem has.I love this poem 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,
And say, "Nay, we are seven!" this stanza tells us about the little girl's strong determination about her views.
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This girl does not feel lonely despite the fact that two of her siblings have died and the others have moved away, leaving her alone with her mother. She constantly reiterates 'We are seven!' and even goes to the graves of her dead siblings and sings to them. This girl is happy and does not feel alone, despite her solitude. Wordsworth greatly admires her happiness, contentment and complete lack of feeling of alienation. This poem seems to illustrate both the innocence of children and the fact that we can learn from it, and also that loneliness is entirely due to a person's attitude. This girl is alone, but does not feel as if she is.
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You all are right but are missing the point. The main theme is not that of death but of childhood vs adulthood, and with it similar themes as religion, school and military service/work (church yard (the dead), Conway (the school) and the sea (Military or sailors), either way those are all ways people leave childhood. Also, reason vs naivity is strong in this, and reason goes with religion as a childhood ender, when he tells her the dead kids are in heaven, she says we are seven. also we are seven means we are all children, even those who left childhood, the ones at conway, etc. also, he loosk at her in the beginning and is glad, and she is described as very seraphic and pastoral, both ideals. SO basically, this poem is an argument for the idealness of childhood, and getting back to that simpler, more innocent state of mind.
It is melodious and beautiful and a tearjerker for these reasons, whether you "see" them initially or not. -
This is one of the poems that first made me love poetry. I have a book of Wordsworth's poems and always go to this one when I pick it up. It never fails to bring a tear to my eyes.
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It seems only right to be that the dead be included in the count.
My husband had a child that died before we met. My children still include her as a sister even though they never met her. -
Beauty
"How many are you, then," said I,
"If they two are in heaven?"
Quick was the little maid's reply,
"O master! we are seven."
this is some extraordinary innocent expression.this poem always make me cry__ i don't know why! -
very nice
The expression in this poem is as innocent as the young lady who insists that in any case thy are seven.
Its very melodious poem .
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