The Land of Counterpane

When I was sick and lay a-bed,

I had two pillows at my head,

And all my toys beside me lay

To keep me happy all the day.

And sometimes for an hour or so

I watched my leaden soldiers go,

With different uniforms and drills,

Among the bed-clothes, through the hills;

And sometimes sent my ships in fleets

All up and down among the sheets;

Or brought my trees and houses out,

And planted cities all about.

I was the giant great and still

That sits upon the pillow-hill,

And sees before him, dale and plain,

The pleasant land of counterpane.

Key points

bed-clothes 被褥 counterpane 床单 dale 山谷 drill 操练

fleet 舰队 lay 躺（lie的过去式） leaden 铅灰色的

pillow 枕头 sheet 被单 sick 不舒服的 uniform 制服

床上的大陆

当我生病躺在床上，

靠着两只枕头遐想，

所有的玩具陪在我身旁，

度过整天悠闲的时光。

一个钟头又一个钟头，

我看着锡兵列队行走，

佩着各色肩章和纽扣，

各自穿过床单的山沟。

有时我的舰队航行在海上，

对抗着棉被掀起的巨浪；

有时我让树木到处生长，

再盖起一座座漂亮的楼房。

我是一个了不起的巨人，

坐在枕头山冈的最高处，

静静俯视我的平原和峡谷，

还有整个床上的大陆。

25

你发现了吗？

在这首诗中，从第一句到最后一句，每两行诗句的结尾词都是押韵的：bed / head, lay / day,so / go, drills / hills, fleets / sheets, out / about,still / hill, plain / counterpane，读起来朗朗上口。