Clever Little Willie Wee Lyrics
Willie is clever, bright-eyed and blue-eyed, and his sister Margery has yellow hair. Willie dreams of being a sailor and often studies a sea chart with her.
Clever Little Willie Wee
Clever little Willie wee,
Bright-eyed, blue-eyed little fellow;
Merry little Margery
With her hair all yellow.
Little Willie in his heart
Is a sailor on the sea,
And he often cons a chart
With sister Margery.
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/clever-little-willie-wee/
- Type
- Poems for Children
- Written by
- Christina Rossetti
- Tune
- Light and affectionate, like a portrait of two children
- Best for ages
- 4 to 9 years
What Does Clever Little Willie Wee Mean?
The poem is a quick portrait of two children. Wee means small, a word used especially in Scotland. Willie is described first by his looks, and Margery by her "hair all yellow", which means fair or blonde. Then comes the real picture: "in his heart" he is a sailor, even though he is at home. To con something is to study it closely, and a chart is a sailor's map of the sea, showing coasts, depths and the safe paths for ships.
The poem pictures the two of them bent over the chart together, so the dream is shared with his sister.
History and Origin
The poem is in Christina Rossetti's Sing-Song, published in 1872.
Learning Activities
- Chart of the bedroom: draw a map of a room with a treasure spot marked and use it to find the treasure.
- Look at a real map: find a harbour on an atlas and talk about how ships find their way.
- In my heart: ask the child what they are in their heart, and why.
- Sailor's call: take turns calling out a compass direction and pointing there.