I have a little shadow that goes in and out with me,
And what can be the use of him is more than I can see.
He is very, very like me, from the heels up to the head;
And I see him jump before me, when I jump into my bed.
The funniest thing about him is the way he likes to grow -
Not at all like proper children, which is always very slow;
For he sometimes shoots up taller, like an india-rubber ball,
And he sometimes gets so little that there`s none of him at all.
He hasnt got a notion of how children ought to play,
And can only make a fool of me in every sort of way.
He stays so close beside me, he`s a coward you can see;
I`d think shame to stick to nursie as that shadow sticks to me!
One morning, very early, before the sun was up,
I `rose and found the shining dew on every buttercup;
But my lazy little shadow, like an arrant sleepy head,
Had stayed at home behind me and was fast asleep in bed.