I PRAY thee by thy mother's face, And by her look, and by her eye, By every decent matron grace That hovered round the resting-place Where thy young head did lie; And by the voice that soothed thine ear, The hymn, the smile, the sigh, the tear That matched thy changeful mood; By every prayer thy mother taught -- By every blessing that she sought, I pray thee to be good. Is not the nestling, when it wakes Its eye upon the wood around, And on its new fledged pinions takes Its taste of leaves and boughs and brakes-- Of motion, sight, and sound-- Is it not like the parent? Then Be like thy mother, child, and when Thy wing is bold and strong, As pure and steady be thy light-- As high and heavenly be thy flight As holy be thy song. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...SANCTUARY by LOUISE IMOGEN GUINEY THE END OF THE DAY by DUNCAN CAMPBELL SCOTT THE MENU by THOMAS BAILEY ALDRICH A SCHOOL ECLOGUE by ANNA LETITIA BARBAULD NORTHERN LIGHTS by EINAR BENEDIKTSSON |