Death & Dying

The Robin gave three hops, and chirp'd, and said

by Eugene Lee-Hamilton 1845–1907

From The Oxford Book of Victorian Verse (1912)

Death & Dying

The Robin gave three hops, and chirp'd, and said:
'Yes, I knew Puck, and loved him; though I trow
He mimick'd oft my whistle, chuckling low;
Yes, I knew cousin Puck; but he is dead.
We found him lying on his mushroom bed —
The Wren and I, — half cover'd up with snow,
As we were hopping where the berries grow.
We think he died of cold. Ay, Puck is fled.'

And then the Wood-Mouse said: 'We made the Mole
Dig him a little grave beneath the moss,
And four big Dormice placed him in the hole.
The Squirrel made with sticks a little cross;
Puck was a Christian elf, and had a soul;
And all we velvet jackets mourn his loss.'

MLA

Lee-Hamilton, Eugene. “The Robin gave three hops, and chirp'd, and said.” Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/lee-hamilton/39/.

Chicago

Lee-Hamilton, Eugene. “The Robin gave three hops, and chirp'd, and said.” Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/lee-hamilton/39/.

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