The Dancing Family.

Pray let me introduce you to
This little dancing family;
For morning, afternoon, and night
They danced away so happily.

They twirled round about,
They turned their toes out;
The people wondered what the noise
Could all be about.

They danced from early morning,
Till very late at night;
Both in-doors and out-of-doors,
With very great delight.

And every sort of dance they knew,
From every country far away;
And so it was no wonder that
They should keep dancing all the day.

So dancing--dancing--dancing,
In sunshine or in rain;
And when they all left off,
Why then--they all began again.

Kate Greenaway

Kate Greenaway was a renowned English Victorian artist and writer known for her children's book illustrations. Her work, characterized by quaint, nostalgic depictions of children and rural life, achieved remarkable popularity in the late 19th century. Greenaway's unique style, often inspired by Regency-era fashion, has had a lasting influence on children's literature and illustration.

Kate Greenaway

The Daisies.

Kate Greenaway, Simple Poetry

Ring-A-Ring.

Kate Greenaway, Simple Poetry

To Mystery Land.

Kate Greenaway, Simple Poetry

My Little Girlie.

Kate Greenaway, Simple Poetry

English

Suggested Poems

Explore a curated selection of verses that share themes, styles, and emotional resonance with the poem you've just read.

The Little Jumping Girls.

Jump jump jump
Jump away
From this town into
The next, to-day.

Jump jump jump
Jump over the moon;
Jump all the morning,
And all the noon.

Jump jump jump
Jump all night;
Won't our mothers
Be in a fright?

Jump jump jump
Over the sea;
What wonderful wonders
We shall see.

Jump jump jump
And leave behind
Everything evil
That we may find.

Jump jump jump
Jump far away;
And all come home
Some other day.

Kate Greenaway

The Dance

When good-nights have been prattled, and prayers have been said,
And the last little sunbeam is tucked up in bed,
Then, skirting the trees on a carpet of snow,
The elves and the fairies come out in a row.
    With a preening of wings
    They are forming in rings;
Pirouetting and setting they cross and advance
In a ripple of laughter, and pair for a dance.

And it's oh for the boom of the fairy bassoon,
And the oboes and horns as they strike up a tune,
And the twang of the harps and the sigh of the lutes,
And the clash of the cymbals, the purl of the flutes;
    And the fiddles sail in
    To the musical din,
While the chief all on fire, with a flame for a hand,
Rattles on the gay measure and stirs up his band.

With a pointing of toes and a lifting ...

R. C. Lehmann

The Dancing Elf*

    I woke to daylight, and to find
    A wreath of fading vine-leaves, rough entwined,
    Lying, as dropped in hasty flight, upon my floor.

    Dropped from thy head, sweet Spirit of the night,
    Who cam'st, with footstep light,
    Blown in by the soft breeze, as thistledown,
    In through my open door.
    Whence? From the woodland, from the fields of corn,
    From flirting airily with the bright moon,
    Playing throughout the hours that go too soon,
    Ready to fly at the approach of morn,
    Thou cam'st,
    Bent on the curious quest
    To see what mortal guest
    Dwelt in the one-roomed cottage built to face the dawn.

    Thou didst pause
    Shy, timid, on the threshold, though there laughed
    The mischief in thy roguish ey...

Victoria Mary Sackville-West

Tip-A-Toe.

Tip-a-Toe,
See them go;
One, two, three
Chloe, Prue, and me;
Up and down,
To the town.
A Lord was there,
And the Lady fair.
And what did they sing?
Oh, "Ring-a-ding-ding;"
And the Black Crow flew off
With the Lady's Ring.

Kate Greenaway

A Genteel Family.

Some children are so naughty,
And some are very good;
But the Genteel Family
Did always what it should.

They put on gloves when they went out,
And ran not in the street;
And on wet days not one of them
Had ever muddy feet.

Then they were always so polite,
And always thanked you so;
And never threw their toys about,
As naughty children do.

They always learnt their lessons
When it was time they should;
And liked to eat up all their crusts
They were so very good.

And then their frocks were never torn,
Their tuckers always clean;
And their hair so very tidy
Always quite fit to be seen.

Then they made calls with their mamma
And were so very neat;
And learnt to bow becomingly
When they met you in the s...

Kate Greenaway

The Giddy Girl

[This recitation is intended to be given with an accompaniment of waltz music, introducing dance-steps at the refrain "With one, two, three," etc.]

A giddy young maiden with nimble feet,
Heigh-ho! alack and alas!
Declared she would far rather dance than eat,
And the truth of it came to pass.
For she danced all day and she danced all night;
She danced till the green earth faded white;
She danced ten partners out of breath;
She danced the eleventh one quite to death;
And still she redowaed up and down -
The giddiest girl in town.
With one, two, three; one, two, three; one, two, three - kick;
Chassee back, chassee back, whirl around quick.
The name of this damsel ended with E -
    Heigh-ho; alack and a-day!
And she was as fair as a maiden need be,
    Till...

Ella Wheeler Wilcox