Anonymous c.1800
The Babes in the Wood
My dear, do you know,
How a long time ago,
Two poor little
children,
Whose names I don't know,
Were stolen away
On a fine summer's day,
And left in
a wood,
As I've heard people say.
Among the trees high
Beneath the blue sky
They plucked
the bright flowers
And watched the birds fly;
Then on blackberries fed,
And strawberries red,
And when
they were weary
‘We'll go home,' they said.
And when it was night
So sad was their plight,
The
sun it went down,
And the moon gave no light.
They sobbed and they sighed
And they bitterly cried,
And
long before morning
They lay down and died.
And when they were dead,
The robins so red
Brought
strawberry leaves
And over them spread;
And all the day long,
The green branches among,
They'd prettily whistle
And this was their song ----
‘Poor babes in the wood!
Sweet babes in the wood!
Oh
the sad fate of
The babes in the wood!'