Rhymes of a Child's World by Miriam Clark Potter - HTML preview

 THE CUDDLE-DE-WEES

Our hen has a troop of cuddle-de-wees

That follow her round, all day;

And some are yellow, and some are black,

And one is a spotless gray;

And at evening time, when the sunset light

Glows red between the trees

Our hen selects a sheltered place

And calls to her cuddle-de-wees;

“Cuddle-de-wees, cuddle-de-wees,

The dew’s on the meadow, the night’s on the breeze,

And the herd bells ring; come under my wing

And snuggle to sleep, while the crickets sing;

To the world, a stupid old hen am I;

To you I’m a refuge, warm and dry,

And safe with a feathery peace: so rest,

For young little fowl this place is the best.”

And there in the shadow, beneath the trees,

They run to her gladly, the cuddle-de-wees.