One for Sorrow
One for sorrow,
Two for joy,
Three for a girl,
Four for a boy,
Five for silver,
Six for gold,
Seven for a secret,
Never to be told.
One man went to mow
One man went to mow, went to mow a meadow,
One man and his dog - Woof! - went to mow a meadow.
Two men went to mow, went to mow a meadow,
Two men, one man and his dog - Woof! - went to mow a meadow.
Three men went to mow, went to mow a meadow,
Three men, two men, one man and his dog - Woof! - went to mow a meadow.
Four men went to mow, went to mow a meadow,
Four men, three men, two men, one man and his dog - Woof! - went to mow a meadow.
One Train May Hide Another
In a poem, one line may hide another line,
As at a crossing, one train may hide another train.
That is, if you are waiting to cross
The tracks, wait to do it for one moment at
Least after the first train is gone. And so when you read
Wait until you have read the next line —
Then it is safe to go on reading.
In a family one sister may conceal another,
So, when you are courting, it's best to have them all in view
Otherwise in coming to find one you may love another.
One father or one brother may hide the man,
One With The Sun
Child
one with the sun
in trackless fields
of yellow grass and thistle, scent
of humid heavy air and the wing music
of bees and flies.
Child, slender
nakedness to itself unknown,
true colour of the light
dispersed invisibly
or glowing around the black hulls
of distant thunderheads, around
the grasshopper’ s countenance,
solemn, vigilant and wise.
One's-Self I Sing
One’ s-Self I sing, a simple separate person,
Yet utter the word Democratic, the word En-Masse.
Of physiology from top to toe I sing,
Not physiognomy alone nor brain alone is worthy for the Muse, I say the Form complete is worthier far,
The Female equally with the Male I sing.
Of Life immense in passion, pulse, and power,
Cheerful, for freest action form’ d under the laws divine,
The Modern Man I sing.
One, two, buckle my shoe
One, two, buckle my shoe
Three, four, open the door
Five, six, pick up sticks
Seven, eight, lay them straight
Nine, ten, a good, fat hen
Eleven, twelve, dig and delve
Thirteen, fourteen, maids a-courting
Fifteen, sixteen, maids in the kitchen
Seventeen, eighteen, maids are waiting
Nineteen, twenty, my plate's empty.
One, two, three, four, five, once I caught a fish alive
One, two, three, four, five,
Once I caught a fish alive.
Six, seven, eight, nine, ten,
Then I let it go again.
Why did you let it go?
Because it bit my finger so.
Which finger did it bite?
This little finger on the right.
One, two, three, four, five,
Once I caught a crab alive.
Six, seven, eight, nine, ten,
Then I let it go again.
Why did you let it go?
Because it bit my finger so.
Which finger did it bite?
This little finger on the right.
Only she who has breast-fed
Only she who has breast-fed
knows how beautiful the ear is.
Only they who have been breast-fed
know the beauty of the clavicle.
Only to humans the Creator
has given the earlobe.
The humans, through clavicles
slightly resembling birds,
entwined in caresses fly
to the place at night where,
rocking the cradle of cradles,
the babe is wailing,
where on a pillow of air
the stars nestle like toys.
And some of them speak.
Open the Gates
Open the gates — the gates of the Temple,
Swift to Thy sons, who Thy truths have displayed.
Open the gates — the gates that are hidden,
Swift to Thy sons, who Thy Law have obeyed.
Open the gates — of the coveted Temple,
Swift to Thy sons who confess and seek grace.
Open the gates — of the armies celestial,
Swift to Thy sons, Judah’ s tearful-eyed race.
Open the gates — the radiant portals,
Swift to Thy sons who are lovely and pure.
Open the gates — of the crown of fidelity,
Swift to Thy sons who in God rest secure.
Opera Bouffe
The count of cappuccino,
the marquise of meringue,
all the little cantuccini...
and what was the song they sang?
Oh, the best of us is nothing
but a sweetening of the air,
a tryst between the teeth and tongue:
we meet and no one’ s there
though the café’ s always crowded
as society arrives
and light glints to and fro between
the eyes and rings and knives.