oh! harry boy and johnny boy,

and little libbety,

they were three happy children

as ever you did see:

one day there came another child;

oh! he was sweet and small!

and round his cradle quickly came

the other children all.

“oh! what’s the news from angel land,

baby, baby?

we think we still might understand,

maybe, maybe!

daddies and mammies long ago

forgot the things the babies know;

we hardly think we could forget,

and yet—and yet!”

now harry’s eyes were diamond dark,

and john’s were starry blue,

and little libbety was like

a rosebud dipped in dew.

they stood around the cradle white,

with rosy ribbons tied,

they looked into the baby’s face

[35]and earnestly they cried:

“oh! what’s the news from angel land,

baby, baby?

we think we still might understand,

maybe, maybe!

daddies and mammies long ago

forgot the things the babies know;

we hardly think we could forget,

and yet—and yet!”

the baby gravely met the look

of brown eyes and of blue:

and gravely opened his baby mouth,

and gravely said, “a-goo!”

harry and johnny shook their heads:

“that word’s too deep for me!”

“i think i used to know it, though!”

said little libbety.

“but what’s the news from angel land,

baby, baby?

we think we still might understand,

[36]maybe, maybe!

daddies and mammies long ago

forgot the things the babies know;

we hardly think we could forget,

and yet—and yet!”

the baby said “a-goo!” again

with meaning calm and deep:

and then he said, “ba-be, ba-ba!”

and then he went to sleep.

the children sighed and turned away:

but none of all the three

guessed, neither john nor harry boy,

nor little libbety,

he had told the news from angel land,

baby, baby,

he thought that they might understand,

maybe, maybe.

daddies and mammies long ago

forgot the things the babies know:

the children ought not to forget,

and yet—and yet!