The Wind Lyrics
Nobody can see the wind, but a child can list what it does: it tosses kites, blows birds about the sky, rustles the grass and pushes the child. The poem ends with questions to the wind itself. Robert Louis Stevenson wrote it for children in the 1880s.
The Wind
I saw you toss the kites on high
And blow the birds about the sky;
And all around I heard you pass,
Like ladies' skirts across the grass,
O wind, a-blowing all day long,
O wind, that sings so loud a song!
I saw the different things you did,
But always you yourself you hid.
I felt you push, I heard you call,
I could not see yourself at all,
O wind, a-blowing all day long,
O wind, that sings so loud a song!
O you that are so strong and cold,
O blower, are you young or old?
Are you a beast of field and tree,
Or just a stronger child than me?
O wind, a-blowing all day long,
O wind, that sings so loud a song!
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/the-wind-stevenson/
- Type
- Poems for Children
- Written by
- Robert Louis Stevenson
- Tune
- Breezy and rising, with the last two lines of each verse sung out like the wind itself
- Best for ages
- 4 to 9 years
Hand Motions and Actions
| When you sing | Do this |
|---|---|
| I saw you toss the kites on high | Hold one arm up high and wiggle the hand like a kite on a string. |
| I felt you push | Step forward as if a soft wind were at your back. |
| O wind, a-blowing all day long | Sway both arms from side to side, slowly, and blow out a long breath. |
What Does The Wind Mean?
The wind is invisible, and the poem is built on that puzzle. The child can say what the wind did: it tossed the kites, blew the birds about the sky, and passed by "like ladies' skirts across the grass", which is the swishing sound a long skirt makes. The second verse says the same thing in another way: "I felt you push, I heard you call, I could not see yourself at all."
The last verse turns to questions. The wind is "strong and cold", so is it young or old? Is it "a beast of field and tree", an animal of the open country, "or just a stronger child than me"? The child does not answer, and a parent or teacher does not need to either. Each verse closes with the same two lines, "O wind, a-blowing all day long, O wind, that sings so loud a song!", where the old "a-" in a-blowing means busily blowing.
Counting the lines: there are 18, three verses of six, and 6 of them are the repeated closing lines, so the poem says its new things in 12 lines.
History and Origin
Robert Louis Stevenson (1850 to 1894) was a Scottish writer best known for his adventure novel Treasure Island, published in 1883. His 1885 collection of poems for children looks at the world from a child's height, and many of its poems, like this one, are about things a child sees out of a window or in a garden.
The closing pair of lines is the same in all three verses, so a child can learn it first and join in each time it comes round.
Learning Activities
- Wind detective: on a breezy day go outside and look for everything the wind is moving, then say it in the poem's style: 'I saw you toss the ___'.
- Kites and ribbons: tie a ribbon to a stick, hold it up and watch what the wind does with it as you read the first verse.
- Answer the questions: ask each child to say whether the wind is young or old, and why.
- Hear the wind: shut your eyes for a minute and listen for the sound of the wind. What does it sound like?