Poetry Friday: Land of Counterpane
My youngest is sick today. This means missing our last homeschool co-op of the year, a birthday party this afternoon, and possibly Presentation Day tomorrow. She has a knack for falling ill on special occasions, but the familiarity of this scenario doesn’t make it any easier.
In her honor, I’m posting the classic children’s sick day poem by Robert Louis Stevenson. I love “The Land of Counterpane” because it acknowledges that even being taken out of the game for a day has a certain luxury. Rest, imagine, play in a desultory fashion — though around here it’s plastic horses, not “leaden soldiers.” Being sick also means more television than is usually allowed, to “keep one happy all the day.” And later, we’ll have a “book party,” another of the consolations of sickness. We’ll be sure to revisit A Child’s Garden of Verses:
When I was sick and lay a-bed,
I had two pillows at my head,
And all my toys beside me lay
To keep me happy all the day.And sometimes for an hour or so
I watched my leaden soldiers go,
With different uniforms and drills,
Among the bed-clothes, through the hills;And sometimes sent my ships in fleets
All up and down among the sheets;
Or brought my trees and houses out,
And planted cities all about.I was the giant great and still
That sits upon the pillow-hill,
And sees before him, dale and plain,
The pleasant land of counterpane.
9 Comments
Amy Ludwig VanDerwater
I hope your little one feels better in time for Presentation Day tomorrow! Thank you for sharing this poem. I think you might also like this set to music – http://www.amazon.com/Childs-Garden-Songs-Poetry-Stevenson/dp/B00000HZEB I love this one and also DAYS GONE BY which you will see on the same page. Happy healing and happy Poetry Month too! A.
Mouseprints
We had that book when I was a child, and I remember poring over the pictures. I love his poetry.
Ruth
I LOVE this poem! One of my favorites as a child and I haven’t heard it in a long time.
Ruth
And P.S., I hope your daughter feels better soon.
Barbara H.
He had such a way of capturing childhood moments. Hope your daughter feels better soon.
Laura Shovan
Hi, Janet. There’s a wonderful children’s CD that includes this poem set to music. It’s on “A Child’s Garden of Song” by Ted Jacobs. I love the RLS book — the first poetry that found me as a child. The CD is wonderful.
Hope your little one feels better soon.
Janelle
Sickness has a way of striking at busy moments. Hopefully your daughter recovers quickly. Don’t you wonder how moms managed sick days before TV? Maybe with a lot of poetry!
Andromeda Jazmon
Hope your little one is feeling better! I remember that book from childhood too & always loved it.
Julie Larios
Love this poem, and Stevenson’s poetry in general. Thanks for the post. Hope your little girl is feeling better now. Sounds like you’re pretty good at getting a little one get through a miserable day!