Welcome, January! :)

Hello everyone –

The New Year MMXVII has arrived, bringing a renewed blast of winter cold and snow to the Midwest. To ring in the new month of January, here are a couple of poems – and a Disney song, too! :)

“Picture-Books in Winter”

By Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894)

From A Child’s Garden of Verses (1885)

Summer fading, winter comes—

Frosty mornings, tingling thumbs,

Window robins, winter rooks,

And the picture story-books.

Water now is turned to stone

Nurse and I can walk upon;

Still we find the flowing brooks

In the picture story-books.

All the pretty things put by,

Wait upon the children’s eye,

Sheep and shepherds, trees and crooks,

In the picture story-books.

We may see how all things are

Seas and cities, near and far,

And the flying fairies’ looks,

In the picture story-books.

How am I to sing your praise,

Happy chimney-corner days,

Sitting safe in nursery nooks,

Reading picture story-books?

“A Calendar of Sonnets: January”

By Helen Hunt Jackson (1830-1885)

O Winter! frozen pulse and heart of fire,

What loss is theirs who from thy kingdom turn

Dismayed, and think thy snow a sculptured urn

Of death! Far sooner in midsummer tire

The streams than under ice. June could not hire

Her roses to forego the strength they learn

In sleeping on thy breast. No fires can burn

The bridges thou dost lay where men desire

In vain to build. O Heart, when Love's sun goes

To northward, and the sounds of singing cease,

Keep warm by inner fires, and rest in peace.

Sleep on content, as sleeps the patient rose.

Walk boldly on the white untrodden snows,

The winter is the winter's own release.

“Frozen Heart”

From Disney’s FROZEN (2013)

Born of cold and winter air
and mountain rain combining.
This icy force both foul and fair
has a frozen heart worth mining.

So cut through the heart, cold and clear.
Strike for love and strike for fear.
See the beauty, sharp and sheer
Split the ice apart
And break the frozen heart!

Hup! Ho!
Watch your step!
Let it go!

Hup! Ho!
Watch your step!
Let it go!

Beautiful!

Powerful!
Dangerous!
Cold!

Ice has a magic,
can't be controlled.
Stronger than one, stronger than ten,
stronger than a hundred men! Ho!

Born of cold and winter air
and mountain rain combining.
This icy force both foul and fair
has a frozen heart worth mining.

Cut through the heart, cold and clear.
Strike for love and strike for fear.
There's beauty and there's danger here
Split the ice apart
Beware the frozen heart...

Until next time – stay warm, and read some picture story-books! Need some reading suggestions? Be sure to visit my friends @ http://ccb.ischool.illinois.edu. :)

Rob