"Good-by! little Ethel, good-by!" says the Light;
For what does my sleepy one need but the night?—
The soft quiet night, like a great downy wing,
To shelter the wee ones, too tired to sing.
Good-by till the dawning:
Some bright star will keep
Its watch o'er your pillow
When you are asleep!
"Good-by, little Ethel," so many things say,—
The wind, that has played in the grasses all day,
The pretty red squirrels you never can catch,
And the kitten, that tries all your playthings to snatch.
When bird, bee, and blossom
Their bright eyes must close,
Is Ethel awake?
Go to sleep like a rose.