06
AWAY TO THE RIVER
Away to the river, away to the wood,
While the grasses are green and the berries are good!
Where the locusts are scraping their fiddles and bows,
And the bees keep a-coming wherever one goes.
Oh, it's off to the river and off to the hills,
To the land of the bloodroot and wild daffodils,
With a buttercup blossom to color my chin,
And a basket of burs to put sandberries in.
[NOTES] This rhyme is about what children do when they play outside in the country. In the summer, children go to the water and they go to the woods where all the trees are. The grass is green and the fruit is good to eat. There are insects called locusts that make a sound with their wings and their legs. Some people say these locusts sound like a violin or fiddle being played with a bow. In the summer there are many bees. There are places to go play such as the river and the hills. There are many flowers. Children pick buttercups and hold the flower, like a mirror, under their chins. Children say if they can see the yellow color under their chin, it means they love butter. In the autumn children bring home berries.
away—go
river—water that runs in a line
wood—place with many trees
berries, sandberries—fruit
locusts—insects
scraping—making a noise
fiddles and bows—violin and the stick it is played with
bloodroot, daffodils, buttercup—flowers
blossom—flower
basket of burs—bowl to put fruit in to take home