Skip to content
QuillOak

Lyric Poem · Childhood

Cradle Song

by Alfred, Lord Tennyson

1What does little birdie say

2In her nest at peep of day?

3Let me fly, says little birdie,

4Mother, let me fly away.

5Birdie, rest a little longer,

6Till thy little wings are stronger.

7So she rests a little longer,

8Then she flies away.

9What does little baby say,

10In her bed at peep of day?

11Baby says, like little birdie,

12Let me rise and fly away.

13Baby, sleep a little longer,

14Till thy little limbs are stronger.

15If she sleeps a little longer,

16Baby too shall fly away.

Full-text availability follows the United States display decision recorded below; status can differ elsewhere.

Quick facts

Poem
Cradle Song
Poet
Alfred, Lord Tennyson
Length
16 lines
Form
Lyric Poem
Themes
Childhood, Dreams & Sleep

Craft notes

How this poem works

Measured from the text on this page, not copied from a summary. Counts are approximate: syllables and rhymes come from the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary, which models General American English, so dialect, older pronunciation, and performance can all change what you hear.

Shape
16 lines · 2 octaves
End rhyme
AABACDEA in every stanza.
Line length
Lines run 7-8 syllables (median 8), consistent with tetrameter. No single length dominates, which is normal once elision and contraction are in play.
The poem’s silhouette — approximate syllables per line, measured from the text above. Even bars mean a measured line; ragged bars mean the poem sets its own widths.

Want the rules this form is measured against? Read what makes a lyric poem, or run your own draft through the form checker to see the same measurements on your lines. How we measure · Report a mistake

Text, source & rights

A traceable edition

Full-text display is based on the committed source record and a United States term-expiry review.

Author record
Alfred, Lord Tennyson1809–1892
Source record
PoetryDBCradle Song by alfred-lord-tennyson, PoetryDB transcription
Display decision
Full text · United States · reviewed 2026-07-18
Publication record
Not recorded in the imported source
Text fingerprint
SHA-256 b83b280ea788cbd2
Editorial handling
Whitespace and stanza breaks normalized for web display; no material wording change recorded.
Jurisdiction-specific, never a worldwide claimRights policyReport a text or rights issue

More poems like this

More poems about childhood