Nature

Little White Lily

by George MacDonald 1824–1905

From The Home Book of Verse, ed. Burton Egbert Stevenson (1912)

Nature

Little White Lily sat by a stone,
Drooping and waiting till the sun shone.
Little White Lily sunshine has fed;
Little White Lily is lifting her head.

Little White Lily said: "It is good,
Little White Lily's clothing and food."
Little White Lily dressed like a bride!
Shining with whiteness, and crowned beside!

Little White Lily drooping with pain,
Waiting and waiting for the wet rain,
Little White Lily holdeth her cup;
Rain is fast falling and filling it up.

Little White Lily said: "Good again,
When I am thirsty to have the nice rain.
Now I am stronger, now I am cool;
Heat cannot burn me, my veins are so full."

Little White Lily smells very sweet;
On her head sunshine, rain at her feet.
Thanks to the sunshine, thanks to the rain,
Little White Lily is happy again.

MLA

MacDonald, George. “Little White Lily.” Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/macdonald/648/.

Chicago

MacDonald, George. “Little White Lily.” Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/macdonald/648/.

Read this poem with the Codex →

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