The Little Boy Went Forth
The little boy went forth
And in his heart was love of all things:
The sun shone brightly down,
And he stopped where the big bell rings
And he gazed through the door 'neath the folded wings.
Then on again he ran
Across the fields to where the lambs play;
And there were three big boys,
Who now hastily went on their way
Their sport done, while one lamb exhausted lay.
He next came to the woods,
Wherein before he'd seen a hare run
And a rabbit dance for joy:
But a trap held the paw of one
And he cried for his brother as he heard a gun.
The little boy now sad
Homewards turned along a known track;
But still was more to see; -
A vast garden yet in humble shack
A dog straining for freedom was chained fast back.
The little boy came home,
But now he cared not for the angels
He had seen the love of men.
