The Snowdrop Lyrics
Spring is coming, the snow and ice are gone, and the speaker asks the snowdrop root to begin to shoot. Soon a little head peeps from the flower-bed, and the speaker tells the flower that the south wind has melted the snow and no storm is coming, so it may open its white petals and hang its head.
The Snowdrop
Now the spring is coming on,
Now the snow and ice are gone,
Come, my little snowdrop-root,
Will you not begin to shoot?
Ah, I see your little head
Peeping from the flower-bed,
Looking out so green and gay
On this fine and pleasant day.
For the mild south wind doth blow
And hath melted all the snow;
And the sun shines out so warm,
You need not fear another storm.
So your pretty flowers show
And your petals white undo;
Then you'll hang your modest head
Down upon my flower-bed.
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/the-snowdrop/
- Type
- Poems for Children
- Tune
- Light and cheerful, with a pause before each of the speaker's reassurances
- Best for ages
- 3 to 7 years
Hand Motions and Actions
| When you sing | Do this |
|---|---|
| Peeping from the flower-bed, | Crouch low, then slowly pop your head up and look around. |
| And your petals white undo; | Open your cupped hands slowly like a flower. |
What Does The Snowdrop Mean?
The speaker talks to a plant as if it were a shy friend. A snowdrop is a small white flower that comes up in late winter, and the poem explains the speaker's patience: now that the snow and ice are gone, the root can begin to shoot, which means to send up a green stem. The root is buried and cannot see the weather, so the speaker reports it: the mild south wind has melted the snow, the sun shines out warm, and you need not fear another storm.
When the flower opens it will hang your modest head, which is how snowdrops grow. Modest means not showy. The poem ends with the flower hanging its head down on the speaker's flower-bed, so the garden belongs to the speaker.
History and Origin
Songs for the Little Ones at Home is dated 1884 and was revised in 1911. The same poem, with a few words different, is in the 1831 edition of Rhymes for the Nursery under the title The Snow-drop, so the verse has been printed in more than one book.
Learning Activities
- Plant a bulb: plant a snowdrop or any bulb in a pot or the garden and check it each week for a green tip.
- Slow flower: crouch on the floor as a seed and grow up very slowly as the poem is read.
- Weather report: ask the child to tell a plant what the weather is, as the speaker does.
- White flower painting: paint a white flower with a drooping head on blue paper.