Hop About, Pretty Sparrows Lyrics
A child watches sparrows collect hay, twigs, wool and moss and asks them not to fly off from the window. The child promises not to catch them or cage them, only to stand by, watch the nest-building and listen to a song, and hopes that one will eat a crumb from an open hand.
Hop About, Pretty Sparrows
Hop about, pretty sparrows, and pick up the hay,
And the twigs, and the wool, and the moss;
Indeed, I'll stand far enough out of your way,
Don't fly from the window so cross.
I don't mean to catch you, you dear little Dick,
And fasten you up in a cage;
To hop all day long on a straight bit of stick,
Or to flutter about in a rage.
I only just want to stand by you and see
How you gather the twigs for your house;
Or sit at the foot of the jenneting tree,
While you twitter a song in the boughs.
Oh dear, if you'd eat a crumb out of my hand,
How happy and glad I should be!
Then come, pretty bird, while I quietly stand
At the foot of the jenneting tree.
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/hop-about-pretty-sparrows/
- Type
- Poems for Children, Animal Rhymes
- Tune
- Soft and coaxing, with a hush on the promises and a wish at the end
- Best for ages
- 3 to 7 years
Hand Motions and Actions
| When you sing | Do this |
|---|---|
| Hop about, pretty sparrows, | Make two fingers hop along your other arm like small birds. |
| While I quietly stand | Freeze with a finger on your lips and watch the pretend birds. |
What Does Hop About, Pretty Sparrows Mean?
This is a poem about being patient with wild animals. The child speaks straight to the sparrows and tells them everything they might worry about: I don't mean to catch you, and no cage with a straight bit of stick to hop on all day. The only wish is to stand by and see how the birds gather twigs for their house.
The hay, twigs, wool and moss are the things a sparrow carries to build a nest. A jenneting is an early kind of apple, so the child waits under an apple tree. Calling a sparrow Dick is a pet name, a bit like calling a cat Tom. The last verse turns the promise into a wish: if a bird would eat a crumb out of an open hand, how happy and glad I should be. A child who has tried to feed a bird knows that this takes quiet and time.
History and Origin
This poem is in a small book of verses for children whose title page credits the Authors of Original Poems. The twenty-third edition, printed in London in 1831, has it.
Learning Activities
- Sit and watch: sit quietly near a window or bench for five minutes and count how many birds land.
- Nest materials: put out a small pile of short twigs and dry grass in the garden and see if any bird comes to take some.
- Promise poem: ask the child what they would promise a shy animal, and write the answers as a new verse.
- Crumb of patience: scatter a few crumbs on a flat stone, step back and see how long it takes for a bird to come.