O Wind, Where Have You Been Lyrics
Someone asks the wind where it has been that it blows so sweet. The answer is among the violets in the chilly spring, while the honeysuckle is still waiting for summer. Two short verses, eight lines, and a spring scent on the air.
O Wind, Where Have You Been
O wind, where have you been,
That you blow so sweet?
Among the violets
Which blossom at your feet.
The honeysuckle waits
For Summer and for heat.
But violets in the chilly Spring
Make the turf so sweet.
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/o-wind-where-have-you-been/
- Type
- Poems for Children
- Written by
- Christina Rossetti
- Tune
- Soft and wondering, like asking a quiet question outdoors
- Best for ages
- 3 to 8 years
Hand Motions and Actions
| When you sing | Do this |
|---|---|
| O wind, where have you been | Hold one hand to your cheek and sway as if a breeze were passing. |
| Among the violets | Crouch low and cup your hands like small flowers. |
| Make the turf so sweet | Sniff deeply, then smile. |
What Does O Wind, Where Have You Been Mean?
The poem begins by speaking straight to the wind, as if it were a traveller. "That you blow so sweet" means that the wind smells pleasant, and the answer is where the smell comes from: among the violets which blossom at your feet. The wind passed over violets, and it carries their scent.
The second verse adds a little contrast. Honeysuckle is a climbing plant with sweet-smelling flowers, but it flowers later, and it "waits for summer and for heat". The violets do not wait: they come in the chilly spring, and they make the turf (the short grass of a lawn or a hillside) smell sweet before the warm days. So early spring has its own scent.
The poem never says who is asking. The rhyme is simple: sweet ends the second and the last line, and feet and heat sit between them. Said aloud, those three words do rhyme, and the repeat of sweet brings the poem back to where it began.
History and Origin
Sing-Song has several poems that speak to the wind, and this is a short one. It appeared in Sing-Song in 1872.
The flowers in it, violet and honeysuckle, were both familiar English garden and hedgerow plants. Violets come first in spring, which is why the poem puts them in the chilly part of the year.
Learning Activities
- Smell walk: in spring, go outside and see how many different smells the breeze brings, and name them.
- Wind questions: let each child ask the wind a question starting 'O wind, where have you been?' and answer for it.
- Spring and summer: list one flower that comes in spring and one that waits for summer, and draw them side by side.
- Rhyme match: say 'sweet', 'feet' and 'heat' and ask the children for another word that rhymes, such as 'beat' or 'meet'.