Characteristics of a Child Three Years ~ William Wordsworth

Loving she is, and tractable, though wild;

And Innocence hath privilege in her

To dignify arc looks and laughing eyes;

And feats of cunning; and the pretty round

Of trespasses, affected to provoke

Mock-chastisement and partnership in play.

And, as a faggot sparkles on the hearth,

Not less if unattended and alone

Than when both young and old sit gathered round

And take delight in its activity;

Even so this happy Creature of herself

Is all sufficient, solitude to her

Is blithe society, who fills the air

With gladness and involuntarily songs.

Light are her sallies as the tripping fawn's

Forth-startled from the fern where she lay couched;

Unthought-of, unexpected, as the stir

Of the soft breeze ruilling the meadow-flowers,

Or from before it chasing wantonly

The many-coloured images imprest

Upon the bosom of a placid lake.

William Wordsworth

(1770 - 1850)