The Bubble Lyrics
The speaker watches a bubble float like a tiny planet, lit with rainbow colours. It drifts down and up again until someone reaches out to catch it, and with one touch it is gone, leaving a few drops behind.
The Bubble
See, the pretty Planet!
Floating sphere!
Faintest breeze will fan it
Far or near;
World as light as feather;
Moonshine rays,
Rainbow tints, together,
As it plays;
Drooping, sinking, failing,
Nigh to earth,
Mounting, whirling, sailing,
Full of mirth;
Life there, welling, flowing,
Waving round;
Pictures coming, going,
Without sound.
Quick now! be this airy
Globe repell'd!
Never can the fairy
Star be held.
Touch'd - it in a twinkle
Disappears!
Leaving but a sprinkle,
As of tears.
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/the-bubble/
- Type
- Poems for Children
- Written by
- William Allingham
- Tune
- Slow and floating at first, then a quick, sudden stop at the end
- Best for ages
- 3 to 8 years
Hand Motions and Actions
| When you sing | Do this |
|---|---|
| Mounting, whirling, sailing, | Draw a slow spiral in the air with one finger. |
| Touch'd - it in a twinkle | Make a small clap on the last word and open your hands. |
What Does The Bubble Mean?
The poem looks at a soap bubble and treats it as a tiny world. It calls the bubble a pretty Planet and a floating sphere, says it is as light as a feather and that it glows with moonshine rays and rainbow tints. A faint breeze is enough to push it far or near, and it sinks nigh to earth, which means close to the ground, then mounts up again.
One line says pictures coming, going, without sound: the shiny skin shows tiny reflections that slide across it. The last two verses are about catching it. Repell'd is the old spelling of repelled, here meaning pushed away. The bubble cannot be held, because the moment it is touched it vanishes in a twinkle, leaving only a sprinkle, as of tears, which is a few small drops of water. The poem finishes with a quiet, sudden stop, just as a real bubble does.
History and Origin
The poem is in Rhymes for the Young Folk by the Irish poet William Allingham, published by Cassell and Company. Its spellings of Touch'd and repell'd are the book's own.
Learning Activities
- Blow bubbles: mix a little washing-up liquid into water outdoors and watch for the colours on the bubble's skin.
- Follow one: choose one bubble and track it with a finger until it is gone, saying the words of the poem.
- Bubble clap: clap softly each time a bubble pops, and clap on the last line of the poem.
- Draw a planet: paint a round bubble on paper and fill it with rainbow stripes.