
I First the Infant in Its Mother's Arms
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A lyrical meditation on the earliest chapters of life, this work invites listeners into the intimate world of an infant’s first breaths and the tender, bewildering moments that follow. Written in flowing verse, it captures the paradox of a newborn’s quiet wonder—eyes that see without understanding, cries that echo pure emotion, and the gentle safety of a mother’s embrace. The language is both tender and playful, turning everyday observations into vivid, almost musical sketches that celebrate the mystery of being.
The narrative then shifts to the toddling child, a tiny explorer whose curiosity turns simple objects into towering pyramids and ordinary sounds into roaring beasts. Through rhythmic descriptions of clumsy climbs, sand‑filled discoveries, and endless “why” questions, the piece paints a picture of boundless imagination and the joyous chaos of early learning. Listeners will feel the pulse of childhood curiosity, the warmth of family moments, and the poetic charm that makes even the smallest actions feel monumental.
Language
en
Duration
~16 minutes (16K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by Suzanne Shell, Emmy and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.)
Release date
2014-03-31
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1862–1942
A wildly prolific American writer, she moved easily from mysteries and children’s books to light verse and literary humor. Her work was hugely popular in the early 20th century, and she was also known as a serious collector of Walt Whitman materials.
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