Between the dark and the daylight,
When the night is beginning to lower,
Comes a pause in the day's occupations,
That is known as the Children's Hour.
I hear in the chamber above me
The patter of little feet,
The sound of a door that is opened,
And voices soft and sweet.
From my study I see in the lamplight,
Descending the broad hall stair,
Grave Alice, and laughing Allegra,
And Edith with golden hair.
A whisper, and then a silence:
Yet I know by their merry eyes
They are plotting and planning together
To take me by surprise.
A sudden rush from the stairway,
A sudden raid from the hall!
By three doors left unguarded
They enter my castle wall!
They climb up into my turret
O'er the arms and back of my chair;
If I try to escape, they surround me;
They seem to be everywhere.
They almost devour me with kisses,
Their arms about me entwine,
Till I think of the Bishop of Bingen
In his Mouse-Tower on the Rhine!
Do you think, o blue-eyed banditti,
Because you have scaled the wall,
Such an old mustache as I am
Is not a match for you all!
I have you fast in my fortress,
And will not let you depart,
But put you down into the dungeon
In the round-tower of my heart.
And there will I keep you forever,
Yes, forever and a day,
Till the walls shall crumble to ruin,
And moulder in dust away!
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Beautiful
You can almost feel the warmth & love,if only all
children could have this in their young lives -
Thanks!
I've love this poem forever... very glad to see it here. -
From guest Nessa (contact)
Hey I like this poem..but Im not really sure what it means when the author describes himself as "an old mustache"-any clarification would help..please & thanks =] -
Grandchildren's Visit
From guest Russ (contact)
A great poem that works equally well for grandparents! -
HI
From guest Lori (jk lol) (contact)
I like this poem alot. How it describes the fathers love for his children. I am doing a report on a poem for my 7th grade class and this is the one i chose. I am glad i found it! PS i am not allowed to say my name! -
the childrens hour
From guest n.j.h. (contact)
i have been looking for this poem since i was a kid.thats more then sixty years ago.thank you very much. it brought back a lot of memories.i want to pass it on to family members...thanks again. -
Wow
From guest Mr.Jon (contact)
That is really cool, partly because I Love children (but in the right context of course) This poem speaks of a love that all people should have for children; not one of hate or burden, abut of blessing and love. -
This is one of my favorite poems; it always has been.
From guest Kelly Crutcher (contact)
This is absolutely beautiful. "The Children's Hour" has always been one of my favorite poems; I love how it tells of the father's love for his daughters. Does anyone know when this was written? -
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1859
I've added the date to the poem page
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Lovely
A very easy to read piece,I loved it all but lines 33 to 40 really swung it for me the way the authors deep love of children came shining through. Superb -
*sighs* i do love this poem. then again i believe i am personally biased to it because this is the poem my parents picked my name from.
I jsut love the feeling to it though; How it expresses that children are so precious, and he doesn't find it below him to humor their adorable games.
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