Thistledown in prison sings:

Tous deux volaient, de branche en branche,Jusqu’au faîte de mon dongeon:Mais comme un coup de vent d’automne,S’est abattu là, l’épervier,Et ma colombe si mignonneNe revient plus au colombier.’

Drives his white flocks from the sky;Now the flowers restOn their mother’s breast,Hushed by her low lullaby.Now the glowworms glance,Now the fireflies dance,Under fern-boughs green and high;And the western breezeTo the forest treesChants a tuneful lullaby.Now ‘mid shadows deepFalls blessed sleep,Like dew from the summer sky;And the whole earth dreams,In the moon’s soft beams,While night…

Bad men want the gold;They will steal it to-night,And you must take flight;So be quiet and busy and bold.’‘Slip away with me,And you will seeWhat a wise little thing am I;For the road I showNo man can know,Since it’s up in the pathless sky.’

With your green and purple cupUpturned to sun and air?‘I bloom, blithesome Bessie,To cheer your childish heart;The world is full of labor,And this shall be my part.’Whirl, busy wheel, faster,Spin, little thread, spin;The sun shines fair without,And we are gay within.O robin in the tree-top,With sunshine on your breast,Why brood you so patientlyAbove your hidden…

And by thy art divineChange mortal weakness to immortal power!Bending beneath the weight of eighty yearsSpent with the noble strifeof a victorious lifeWe watched her fading heavenward, through our tears.But ere the sense of loss our hearts had wrungA miracle was wrought;And swift as happy thoughtShe lived again — brave, beautiful, and young.Age, pain, and…

The low, sweet tones of happy flowers,Singing little Violet’s name.‘Mong the green trees was it whispered,And the bright waves bore it onTo the lonely forest flowers,Where the glad news had not gone.Thus the Frost-King lost his kingdom,And his power to harm and blight.Violet conquered, and his cold heartWarmed with music, love, and light;And his fair…