Waldorf poems and verses – una collezione di poesie, motti e filastrocche, di autori vari, per la lezione di Inglese nello stile della scuola steineriana.
Waldorf poems and verses
Hidden
Deep in the kingdom there spreads a great forest,
Deep in the forest a mountain soars high;
Deep in the mountain a high vaulted cavern,
Secret and solemn, where fools may not pry.
Deep in the cavern there stands a great granite,
Solid and silent and strong as the earth;
Deep in the granite there glistens and gleams
A radiant jewel of wondrous worth.
Paul King
The little brown bulb
The little brown bulb lies quiet and warm,
Sheltered from wind and sheltered from storm.
“Awake, Little Bulb,” call the rain and the sun,
“Wake and unfold
Your green and your gold,
For winter is done.”
Paul King
Winter and Spring
Cruel winter froze the stream,
Made all things hard with ice and snow.
The creatures shivered, the flowers died,
Nothing could live, and nothing could grow.
Then came summer’s kindly warmth,
The sun shone down with love and light.
The hard ice cracked and melted away
And life bloomed again in colours bright.
Paul King
The lighthouse
Out in the bay there’s a lighthouse,
On an island of rock on its own.
The mighty waves buffet its boulders
And the winds howl around it and moan.
But so firmly it stands on the granite,
Undaunted by wind or by sea,
And its bright beam sweeps through the stormy night
To bring the ships safe to the quay.
Paul King
Morning Verse
The sun with loving light
Makes bright for me each day.
The soul with spirit power
Gives strength into my limbs.
In sunlight shining clear
I reverence, O God,
The strength of humankind
Which thou, so graciously,
Hast planted in my soul
That I, with all my might,
May love to work and learn
From thee comes light and strength
To thee rise love and thanks.
Waldorf poems and verses
How Beautiful the World Is
How beautiful the world is,
How blue the sky above,
How green the grass in the morning dew,
How musical the dove.
Eyes to see the colours bright,
Ears for music of delight,Nose to smell the fragrant rose,
Skin to feel the breeze that blows.
How beautiful the world is,
How blue the sky above,
God is there in all creation
Flowing forth in light and love.
Paul King
The song of the stars
The song of the stars resounds in the heavens,
The song of the sun awakens the day,
The song of my heart is the sun in my soul,
And I’ll listen, and listen, to what it can say.
P. King
A head I have for thinking deeply,
Listening, and learning, and looking with care.
Hands I have for work and creating
With fingers skillful to make and repair.
In my heart I can carry the sun
Shining with love for everyone.
Paul King
From Wibbleton to Wobbleton is fifteen miles,
From Wobbleton to Wibbleton is fifteen miles,
From Wibbleton to Wobbleton,
From Wobbleton to Wibbleton,
From Wibbleton to Wobbleton is fifteen miles.
Waldorf poems and verses
Hickory, dickory, dare,
The pig flew up in the air.
A man in brown
Brought him down
Hickory, dickory, dare.
Higglety, pigglety, pop!
The dog has eaten the mop;
The pig’s in a hurry,
The cat’s in a flurry,
Higglety, pigglety, pop!
Hoddley, poddley, puddle and fogs,
Cats are to marry the poodle dogs;
Cats in blue jackets and dogs in red hats,
What will become of the mice and the rats?
Tumbling Jack goes clickety-clack,
Down the ladder and then comes back,
Clickety-clack, rattle and hop,
Over and down again, flipperty-flop!
Waldorf poems and verses
The Robin’s Song
God bless the field and bless the furrow,
Stream and branch and rabbit burrow,
Hill and stone and flower and tree,
From Bristol town to Wetherby –
Bless the sun and bless the sleet,
Bless the land and bless the street,
Bless the night and bless the day,
From Somerset and all the way
To the meadows of Cathay;
Bless the minnow, bless the whale,
Bless the rainbow and the hail,
Bless the nest and bless the leaf,
Bless the righteous and the thief,
Bless the wing and bless the fin,
Bless the air I travel in,
Bless the mill and bless the mouse,
Bless the miller’s bricken house,
Bless the earth and bless the sea,
God bless you and God bless me!
(old English Rhyme)
After the Rain
Drip, drip, drip from the twigs and the leaves,
Drop, drop, drop from the drain-pipe and the eaves,
Plip, plip, plip making dimples in the sand,
Plap, plap, plap in the palm of my hand.
Driplets on the petal tips,
Droplets on the grass,
A-glistening in the sunlight
When the rain cloud has passed. Paul King
Bees
Buzzing bees, buzzing bees,
Buzzing and bumbling from flower to flower,
Sucking sweet nectar out of the bloom,
To fill with gold your honeycomb bower.
Paul King
Waldorf poems and verses
One tired tortoise
Plodding in the Karoo,
He bumped into another one
And that made two.
Two tired tortoises
Resting by a tree,
Along came another one
And that made three.
Three tired tortoises
With feet feeling sore
Along came another one
And that made four.
Four tired tortoises
Just trying to survive,
Along came another one
And that made five.
Five tired tortoises
In a thirsty fix,
Along came another one
And that made six.
Six tired tortoises
Wished they were in Devon,
Along came another one
And that made seven.
Seven tired tortoises
Getting quite irate,
Along came another one
And that made eight.
Eight tired tortoises
Starting to decline,
Along came another one
And that made nine.
Nine tired tortoises
Prayed and said ‘Amen’,
Along came another one
And that made ten.
Ten tired tortoises drinking at a well,
Then each one yawned and said Goodnight
And slipped into his shell.
Paul King
Waldorf poems and verses
Twelve Tiny Tadpoles (adding 2)
2 tiny tadpoles swimming near the shore,
up swam another two and that made 4.
4 tiny tadpoles playing naughty tricks,
up swam another two and that made 6.
6 tiny tadpoles in a giddy state,
up swam another two and that made 8.
8 tiny tadpoles found a little den,
up swam another two and that made 10.
10 tiny tadpoles in the mud did delve,
up swam another two and that made 12.
12 tiny tadpoles wriggling just for fun,
One called out, “There’s the stork!”,
. . . And then there were none.
(because they’d all hidden, not because they were all eaten!)
Paul King
Finger exercise rhyme
Hens at the Dish
Peck, peck, peck,
Peck, peck, peck,
The hens in the yard go
Peck, peck, peck.
First one, second one,
Third one, fourth one,
Pecking round the dish
Till the grain’s all gone.
Paul King
Left and Right
Left and Right were going to fight,
They crossed their swords in the middle of the night.
Left and Right were equally strong.
Left and Right were equally wrong!
Left and Right grew tired of the fight,
So they all shook hands and said Good-night.
Waldorf poems and verses
The Lion and the Mouse
Lion lies sleeping, silent and still,
Along comes a mouse and thinks he’s a hill.
Up the great body the little mouse goes,
Through mane, across ear, and down Lion’s nose.
But Lion wakes up and gives a great roar,
Catches poor Mouse in his long cruel claw.
“How dare you walk over your king and your lord!
For this only death shall be your reward.”
The little mouse shivers and shudders with fright,
Tries hard to think how to put things a-right.
“Forgive my mistake, mighty Lion, I pray,
And I promise to help you too some day.”
At this Lion laughs and shakes to and fro,
But he’s now in good humour and lets the mouse go.
Days come and days go, and some hunters pass by
Who set a great lion-trap cunning and sly.
Lion walks in, unaware of the threat,
And suddenly finds himself caught in a net.
Frustrated he roars with wrath and despair;
Little Mouse hears how he’s caught in a snare.
She remembers her promise and runs without pause
To the spot where the Lion so rages and roars.
Her sharp little teeth set to gnawing the rope,
Thread after thread, now the Lion feels hope.
Soon there’s a hole and the Lion is freed.
The Mouse has kept her promise indeed!
Waldorf poems and verses
The Fox and the Crow
A coal-black crow sits in a tree,
A morsel of cheese in his beak has he.
A fox slinks by as sly as you please,
And cunningly plots how to get the cheese.
“Oh how I admire your feathers so spry,
The sheen of your tail and the glint of your eye,
The elegant curve of your beak sharp and long –
But would I could hear your sweet voice raised in song!”
At this the crow’s flattered and quite taken in;
To impress the fox further he will now begin.
He throws back his head, and rasping and raw,
He utters a raucous, cacophonous “Caw!”
With beak all agape, the cheese tumbles out,
The fox snaps it up in his long pointed snout.
“Sing, Crow, your vanity, long as you please.
You keep your song, and I’ll have the cheese!”
The Pine Tree and the Reed
“You are small and weak,” the pine tree said
To the swaying reed by the stream below,
“Whereas I am stately, high above you,
And have far more to show!”
The reed was silent. But soon after this
A gale began to bluster and blurt.
The rigid pine tree snapped in the wind,
But the pliant reed bent unhurt.
Waldorf poems and verses
Chatterford Market
Cabbage and carrots,
Beetroot and beans,
Spinach and sprouts,
Marrows and greens:
All of the freshest
Crispy and spry,
At Chatterford market,
Buy! Come buy!
Lettuce and leeks,
Pumpkin and peas,
Cherries and berries
And lemons to squeeze.
There’s big yellow cheese
And honey from bees
And all sorts of teas
From bushes and trees,
And cakes and pies
To feast the eyes,
Pies and pasties of every size.
There are things we all know
And things that surprise
At Chatterford Market
Under the skies.
The little bird
The little bird sighed, “Oh me, oh my!
How they will laugh if I try to fly.
If I flutter and flop, or tumble and fall,
Will the creatures all laugh at me, clumsy and small?”
But the sun shone down with a kindly face
“Just try and soon you will fly with grace.”
The bird practised hard never minding to fall,
And now the great eagle flies highest of all.
Waldorf poems and verses
Acorn and Oak
“Oh I’ll never be big,” the acorn said
As it gazed on high to the oak tree tall,
“I’m little and round as a miller’s thumb,
I’ll never be big, I’ll always be small.”
The oak tree smiled a knowing smile,
“My trunk is thick, and my roots are deep,
My branches and twigs spread high and wide,
For birds to nest in, and bugs to sleep.
But I was an acorn too on a time,
– ‘Oh I’ll never be big, I’ll never be strong,’-
That’s what I thought many years ago…
And, dear little acorn, you see I was wrong!”
Johnny’s farm
Waldorf poems and verses
Johnny had a little dove, coo, coo, coo.
Johnny had a little mill, clack, clack, clack.
Johnny had a little cow, moo, moo, moo.
Johnny had a little duck, quack, quack, quack.
Coo, coo; clack, clack; moo, moo; quack, quack;
Down on Johnny’s little farm.
Johnny had a little hen, cluck, cluck, cluck.
Johnny had a little crow, caw, caw, caw.
Johnny had a little pig, chook, chook, chook.
Johnny had a little donkey, haw, haw, haw.
Coo, coo; clack, clack; moo, moo; quack, quack;
Cluck, cluck; caw, caw; chook, chook; haw, haw;
Down on Johnny’s little farm.
Johnny had a little dog, bow, wow, wow.
Johnny had a little lamb, baa, baa, baa.
Johnny had a little son, now, now, now!
Johnny had a little wife, ha! ha!! ha!!!
Coo, coo; clack, clack; moo, moo; quack, quack;
Cluck, cluck; caw, caw; chook, chook; haw, haw;
Bow-wow; baa, baa; now, now; ha! ha!!
Down on Johnny’s little farm.
(traditional)
Lovely Things
Bread is a lovely thing to eat –
God bless the barley and the wheat!
A lovely thing to breathe is air –
God bless the sunshine everywhere!
The earth’s a lovely place to know –
God bless the folks that come and go!
Alive’s a lovely thing to be –
Giver of life – we say – bless Thee!
H.M.Sarson
Waldorf poems and verses
Measurement
“Oh build for me builder
A house of my own,
With plank and with timber,
With tiling and stone;
A solid foundation,
Four walls stout and thick,
A roof of good oak beam,
And chimney of brick.”
“Yes, I’ll build you a house,
The best that I can,
But the measurements true
I’ll need for the plan.
How deep the foundation?
What height for the wall?
What length for the rooms,
And the passage and hall?
How high is the chimney?
How wide are the floors?
How broad is the staircase?
How narrow the doors?
Give me the measure
To build your house right:
The width and the length,
The depth and the height.”
Paul King
Waldorf poems and verses
Nouns and Verbs
Of all the things I can know and love,
Like the earth below and the sky above,
The wind in the trees
And the waves of the sea:
All these the noun will name for me.
The dolphin, the whale and fishes bright,
The lark at dawn, and the owl of the night,
The fox in his den,
And the buck that springs:
The naming noun will name these things.
Of all the things that as deeds are done,
I can leap or linger, romp and run,
I can weep salt tears,
And chuckle with glee:
And these the doing verbs decree.
I live, I learn, I wish for, I work,
But if a good deed I would lazily shirk,
Then a charm I can say
The good to fulfill:
I can,
I should,
I want to,
I will!
Paul King
Waldorf poems and verses
Where am I?
In the hand of God is the Universe,
In the Universe is our galaxy,
In our galaxy is the Solar System,
In the Solar System is the Earth,
On Earth is the continent of Africa,
In Africa is the country of South Africa,
In South Africa is the province of the Western Cape,
In the Western Cape is the city of Cape Town,
In Cape Town is the suburb of Kenilworth,
In the suburb of Kenilworth is Marlowe Road,
In Marlowe Road is Michael Oak School,
In Michael Oak is Class Four,
In Class Four are rows of desks,
In one of those rows is my desk,
Here I sit.
Waldorf poems and verses
Here I sit
at my desk
in one of the rows
in Class 4
in Michael Oak
in Kenilworth
in Cape Town,
in the Western Cape
in South Africa
in Africa
on Earth
in the Solar System
in the galaxy
in the universe
in the hand of God.
Waldorf poems and verses
Butterfly and Flower
See the flower open
Its petals one by one –
Butterfly wings upon a stem
Waving in the sun.
See the flitting butterfly
In shimmering colours bright –
A flower free and flying
In the warm summer’s light.
See the bee
How selflessly
She toils to bring the honey home.
The silent hive
She’ll keep alive
When blooms are blown and winter’s come.
By day the light of the radiant Sun,
By night the light of mysterious Moon,
And the wandering Stars ever above,
Guide and guard us night and noon.
Light of the sun shine in my thoughts
Beauty of moon weave in my heart,
Wisdom of stars flow through my deeds.
Morning, evening, night and noon.
The pillars of the temple
Stand between earth and sky :
Upon a footing that’s sturdy and firm
They lift the roof on high.
The great and glorious golden sun
Shines from on high on everyone,
On saint and sinner, shepherd and king,
On the great and the stumbling, unstinting.
See the stone
Sculpted by storm,
Weathered by wind
To a rugged form.
See the shell
Whose elegant spin
Spirals and twists
To the heart within.
Weather and wind
Or life unfurled:
Inner and outer
Shape the world.
Waldorf poems and verses
Above me, the heavens with moon and sun,
Below me, the earth firm and strong,
Behind me, an angel to guard me and guide,
Before me, the goal to which I stride,
Beside me, my loved ones, and all around
Fire and water and air abound.
Above, below; near and wide;
Behind, before, and either side :
The encompassing world lies far and nigh,
And in the centre, here stand I.
Crystal, jewel, rock or stone,
In me is sinew, flesh and bone.
The plant unfolding stem and leaf,
In me is growth and pulsing life.
The sentient beast that roves the plain
In me is shades of joy and pain.
The sun that gives its loving light,
In me is thinking’s radiance bright
Beast and plant, earth and sun –
All the world in me is One.
The word of a king can slay or spare,
The word of a clown can gladden.
The word of a friend can comfort and share,
The word of a foe can sadden.
The word of God creates a world
Of firmament, land and sea;
The word of my mouth
Shapes my life,
And so creates me.
The master paints a picture
And its greatness shineth forth;
The journeyman travels to broaden his skill
By many a winding path;
The apprentice must practise and practise
And practise undaunted still more –
But first he takes a simple broom
And sweeps the master’s floor.
Rain, fall!
Water, flow!
Bring new life
That the plant may grow.
Soften the earth
That the root grow deep;
Moisten the air
That stem and leaf
Unfurl and unfold
In the shimmering light
And bring forth the flower
For our delight
The tool unused lies lost in dust,
The sword unused turns dull with rust,
The path unused grows clogged with weed,
The crop untended goes to seed.
Skills unused will soon decay,
Talents wasted, fade away.
I will work with a wish and I’ll work with a will,
And the task that life brings me I’ll gladly fulfil,
And unfolding new skills, many joys shall be mine.
Away dull rust! Let me shine!
In the waters of a pool,
Deep and green, dim and cool,
Unperturbed by swirl or swish,
Hangs a dreaming silver fish.
Thrice a-dream in waters deep,
Wrapped in fast aquatic sleep.
Then with a flip and a flash and a flay
Swift as the lightning it flickers away.
The sails are full, the anchor hauled,
The rolling keel o’erleaps the swell,
The wheeling gulls above me call,
And wind and wave betoken well.
Storm or calm
Near or far,
Undeterred I’ll follow my star.
Earth beneath my feet,
Thee my step doth greet.
Through the light of days
I walk upon thy ways,
Straight or curved or steep
In places high or deep.
Wisdom guide my soul,
Lead me to life’s goal;
Firmness bear me on
Till my path be done.
Earth beneath my feet,
Thee I gently greet.
I waken to the morning light,
I waken to the hills and seas,
I waken to the birds and beasts,
I waken to the plants and trees;
And the world of people round me moves,
Family, teachers, friends and more –
The world awaits me every morn
To know, to cherish and explore.
In the world I will seek
For the good and the true
By the thought that I think
And the deeds that I do
Waldorf poems and verses
The Ballad of Semmerwater
Deep asleep, deep asleep,
Deep asleep it lies,
The still lake of Semmerwater
Under the still skies.
And many a fathom, many a fathom,
Many a fathom below,
In a king’s tower and a queen’s bower
The fishes come and go.
Once there stood by Semmerwater
A mickle town and tall;
King’s tower and queen’s bower
And the wakeman on the wall.
Came a beggar halt and sore:
“I faint for lack of bread!”
King’s tower and queen’s bower
Cast him forth unfed.
He knock’d at the door of the eller’s cot,
The eller’s cot in the dale.
They gave him of their oatcake,
They gave him of their ale.
He has cursed aloud that city proud,
He has cursed it in its pride;
He has cursed it into Semmerwater
Down the brant hillside;
He has cursed it into Semmerwater
There to bide.
King’s tower and queen’s bower,
And a mickle town and tall;
By glimmer of scale and gleam of fin,
Folk have seen them all.
King’s tower and queen’s bower,
And weed and reed in the gloom;
And a lost city in Semmerweater,
Deep asleep till Doom.
Sir William Watson
Waldorf poems and verses
The Water Cycle
Water hard as iron,
Water flowing free,
Water floating light as air,
Water one in three.
Vapour rising skyward,
Falls to earth as rain,
Flows in river, stream and sea
To rise as cloud again.
Lifting skyward, falling earthward,
Ever on the move,
Thus the cycle of all life
Comes and goes on earth.
Paul King
Waldorf poems and verses
Deep in the night is darkness,
With my soul in slumber deep.
Moonlight dreams on the waters,
Moonlit dreams in my sleep.
High in the star-filled firmament
The song of the spheres is heard,
Giving me strength for the morrow,
In thought and deed and word.
Now light of the sun is dawning,
And light of my mind as I wake:
Alive in the world,
At home on the earth,
My path through life to take.
Paul King
The rocks are hard
And we stumble.
The rocks are sharp
And we bleed.
The rocks are heavy, jagged and dense,
Crushing and dark indeed.
But the rocks bear the weight of the world,
They bear up our steps with might;
And deep within, like stars on earth,
Their jewels glisten bright.
Paul King
A pebble dropped in a lake
Sends ripples gliding to shore.
The world is changed for ever;
Does the ripple glide ever more?
A word of kindness spoken
Sends warmth where was pain before.
The world is changed for ever:
The warmth lives on ever more.
Paul King
Waldorf poems and verses
Bean bag
(per l’esercizio del girare il sacchetto di fagioli attorno ai fianchi. Ogni verso è un giro completo)
Waldorf poems and verses
Round About
Round the coppice
Round the trees,
Round the woods
With the rustling leaves;
Round the tree trunk,
Round the stem:
Round about
And home again.
Paul King
(tenere il sacchetto di fagioli nella mano destra, gettarlo accompagnadolo bene con la mano sopra la testa e riprenderlo con la mano sinistra. Quattro lanci per ogni verso).
Waldorf poems and verses
Red, and orange, and yellow, and green:
The rainbow’s seven colours have a bright shiny sheen.
Light blue, indigo, and violet all told. At the end of the rainbow is a pot of gold
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Waldorf poems and verses
