Little bird little bird, come to me
I have a clean cage already for thee
Many bright flowers I'll bring anew
And fresh ripe cherries, all wet with dew
Thanks little maiden, for all thy care
But I dearly love the clear, cool air
And my snug little nest in the old oak tree
Is better than golden cage for me
Little bird, little bird, where wilt thou go?
When all the fields are buried with snow?
The ice will cover the old oak tree
Little bird, little bird, stay with me!
Ah nay little maiden, away I will fly
To greener fields and warmer sky
When Spring comes back with cheerful rain
My joyful song you will hear again
Little bird, little bird, who will guide thee?
Over the hills and over the sea?
Foolish one, come with me to stay
If you don’t, I’m sure you’ll lose your way
No little maiden, God guides me
Over the hills and over the sea
He made me free as the morning air
To drink sunshine everywhere
This is a poem my mother used to recite for us (my sister and I) when we were little girls. She memorized it from a certain book she had when she was a little girl herself. Since years ago I google many times for this poem, but failed to find it.
To my surprise, with some combination of keywords, eventually Uncle Google showed me some versions of the poem which is also a nursery rhymes. I also found that maybe there is no "original version" since I don't know which one is the most reliable version.
So I stick to my mother's memory with some adjustment.
