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The New Zealand Railways Magazine, Volume 9, Issue 6 (September 1, 1934)

The Cottage on the Downs

The Cottage on the Downs.

There are lots of lordly mansions
Set in forest and in flow'r;
With their avenues of oak trees
And a fountain all a-show'r;
There are palaces and castles
In a thousand busy towns;
But, they cannot match the glory,
Of my cottage on the downs.
There, the ivy-covered chimneys
Harbour cunning bird and nest,
And it's in the joy of springtime
That I love my cottage best;
There are curtains made of muslin
From my great-aunts' wedding gowns;
And they bring a touch of romance, To my cottage on the downs.
In the little low-roofed attic,
There's a cot, a box of toys,
And a frieze around the ceiling,
Made for little girls and boys;
There's a rocking-horse with pillion,
And two acrobatic clowns;
In that little low-roofed attic,
In my cottage on the downs.
In the quiet of the evening,
Comes a stillness on the air;
Such a hallowed, tip-toe silence,
Like a chapel hushed in prayer;
All the wickedness and worry,
Of those thousand busy towns,
Cannot mar the peace of heaven,
O'er my cottage on the downs.
Let me close these eyes a'weary
Of drab chimney pots and roofs;
Let me shut out all the echoes
Of these cars and ringing hoofs;
I was born and I was married,
Far from flurry of the towns;
And my thoughts are ever homing,
To my cottage on the downs.

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