Poems (Dorr)/Periwinkle

by Julia Caroline Dorr

PERIWINKLE

    Tinkle, tinkle,
    Periwinkle!
     Soft and clear,
     Far or near,
Still the mellow notes I hear!
 Up and down the sunny hills,
  Here you go, there you go,
 Where the happy mountain rills
  Tinkle soft, tinkle low;
Where the willows, all a-quiver,
Dip their long wands in the river,
And the hemlock shadows fall
By the gray rocks, cool and tall—
    In and out,
    And round about,
     Here you go,
     There you go!

    Tinkle, tinkle,
    Periwinkle!
     Here and there,
     Everywhere,
Floats the music on the air!
 Through the pastures wide and free,
  Here you go, there you go,
 Making friends with bird and bee,
  Flying high, flying low;

In and out, where lilies blowing
Nod above wild grasses growing,
Where the sweet-fern and the brake
All around rich odors make,
Where the mosses cling and creep
To the rocks, and up the steep—
    In and out
    You wind about,
     Here and there,
     Everywhere!

    Tinkle, tinkle,
    Periwinkle!
     Day is done,
     And the sun
Now its royal couch hath won!
 Homeward through the winding lane,
  Here you go, there you go,
 While the bell in sweet refrain
  Tinkles clear, tinkles low—
Tinkles softly through the gloaming,
"Drop the bars—I'm tired of roaming
Here and there, everywhere
Through the pastures wide and fair,
     Home is best,
     Home and rest!"
Through the bars goes Periwinkle,
While the bell goes tinkle, tinkle,
     Low and clear,
Saying, softly, "Night is here!"