wildwoosi ([info]wildwoosi) wrote,
@ 2009-04-21 13:49:00
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Current mood: nostalgic

My Shadow
From a Child's Garden of Verses by Robert Louis Stevenson. This was my favorite book and favorite poems for a long time, and for some reason it came to mind today.

My Shadow

I HAVE a little shadow that goes in and out with me, 
And what can be the use of him is more than I can see. 
He is very, very like me from the heels up to the head; 
And I see him jump before me, when I jump into my bed. 
  
The funniest thing about him is the way he likes to grow—         5
Not at all like proper children, which is always very slow; 
For he sometimes shoots up taller like an India-rubber ball, 
And he sometimes gets so little that there’s none of him at all. 
  
He hasn’t got a notion of how children ought to play, 
And can only make a fool of me in every sort of way.  10
He stays so close beside me, he’s a coward you can see; 
I’d think shame to stick to nursie as that shadow sticks to me! 
  
One morning, very early, before the sun was up, 
I rose and found the shining dew on every buttercup; 
But my lazy little shadow, like an arrant sleepy-head,  15
Had stayed at home behind me and was fast asleep in bed.


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[info]mlerules
2009-04-21 10:13 pm UTC (link)
How nice. Oh, the fact that nowadays you can actually SEE your shadow might've helped return this to your memory. ;-) I'm SO in favor of sunny days!

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[info]vismaya_viewer
2009-04-21 11:50 pm UTC (link)
A favorite for me too. Thank you for revisiting. :o)

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[info]jade_rabbit
2009-04-24 04:12 am UTC (link)
I used to love these poems :) Haven't thought about them in awhile, now I am all nostalgic :)

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(Anonymous)
2009-05-08 01:25 am UTC (link)
Oh oh I haven't thought of that in YEARS. Lovely! Thanks for bringing it up!

Cinders

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Little Shadows
(Anonymous)
2009-06-28 04:11 am UTC (link)
That was one of my favorite poems when I was a little girl. A friend of my parents gave me the Garden of Verses when I was quite young and I read the poems over and over again. Do you have that old book? It was falling apart.

Mom

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Re: Little Shadows
[info]wildwoosi
2009-06-28 04:13 am UTC (link)
I don't have it. I've tried to find that edition, but I don't remember enough about it. Do you remember anything that would help?

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