The Christmas Tree in the Nursery

With wild surprise

Four great eyes

In two small heads

From neighboring beds

Looked out—and winked—

And glittered and blinked

At a very queer sight

In the dim dawn-light.

As plain as can be

A fairy tree

Flashes and glimmers

And shakes and shimmers.

Red, green, and blue

Meet their view;

Silver and gold

Sharp eyes behold;

Small moons, big stars;

And jams in jars,

And cakes and honey

And thimbles, and money,

Pink dogs, blue cats,

Little squeaking rats,

And candles, and dolls,

And crackers and polls,

A real bird that sings,

And tokens and favors,

And all sorts of things

For the little shavers.

Four black eyes

Grow big with surprise;

And then grow bigger

When a tiny figure,

Jaunty and airy,

A fairy! a fairy!

From the treetop cries

"Open wide! Black Eyes!

Come, children, wake now!

Your joys you may take now."

Quick as you can think,

Twenty small toes

In four pretty rows,

Like little piggies pink,

All kick in the air—

And before you can wink

The tree stands bare!