LOVING she is, and tractable, though wild; <br />And Innocence hath privilege in her <br />To dignify arch looks and laughing eyes; <br />And feats of cunning; and the pretty round <br />Of trespasses, affected to provoke <br />Mock-chastisement and partnership in play. <br />And, as a faggot sparkles on the hearth, <br />Not less if unattended and alone <br />Than when both young and old sit gathered round <br />And take delight in its activity; <br />Even so this happy Creature of herself <br />Is all-sufficient, solitude to her <br />Is blithe society, who fills the air <br />With gladness and involuntary songs. <br />Light are her sallies as the tripping fawn's <br />Forth-startled from the fern where she lay couched; <br />Unthought-of, unexpected, as the stir <br />Of the soft breeze ruffling the meadow-flowers, <br />Or from before it chasing wantonly <br />The many-coloured images imprest <br />Upon the bosom of a placid lake.<br /><br />William Wordsworth<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/characteristics-of-a-child-three-years-old/
