I would like to share with you one of my favourite children’s poems by the classic British author Robert Louis Stevenson. It reminds me of childhood, and the English countryside:
The Swing
How do you like to go up in a swing,
Up in the air so blue?
Oh, I do think it the pleasantest thing
Ever a child can do!
Up in the air and over the wall,
‘Till I can see so wide,
Rivers and trees and cattle and all
Over the countryside—
‘Till I look down on the garden green,
Down on the roof so brown—
Up in the air I go flying again,
Up in the air and down!
Robert Louis Stevenson 1850 – 1894
Robert Louis Stevenson was born in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1850 and died in Samoa in 1894. Much of his childhood was spent in bed, due to illness, which explains why many of his children’s poems centre on his thoughts and dreams whilst he was in bed. In his later life he travelled the world and finally settled in Samoa.
He is a famous British author and his classic books include: "Treasure Island," "Kidnapped," and "Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde."
"The Swing" is a poem in a collection of poems by Stevenson in his book "A Child’s Garden of Verses," 1885.
As a child, somebody gave me a copy of "A Child’s Garden of Verses" published by Thomas Nelson and Sons Ltd. I love this book and have often referred back to it during my life.
Happy reading!
Hero image by Jeremy Bishop on Unsplash
