Child's Song-Gerald Gould

CHILD'S SONG

I know the sky will fall one day-

The great green trees will topple down,

The spires will wither far away

Upon the battlemented town;

When winds and waves forget to flow

And the wild song-birds cease from calling,

Then I shall take my shoes and go

To tell the king the sky is falling.

There's lots of things I've never done,

And lots of things I'll never see;

The nearest rainbow ever spun

Is much too far away for me;

But when the dark air's lost in snow

And the long quiet strikes appalling,

I learn how it will feel to go

To tell the King the sky is falling.

GERALD GOULD

Summary: 'Child's Song' by Gerald Gould is a poem that expresses the inevitability of change and the impermanence of all things, even the sky. The speaker, a child, contemplates a future when the sky will fall, the trees will topple, and the spires will wither. In this desolate world, the child will set out to tell the king that the sky is falling.

The poem also reflects on the limitations of human experience. This child acknowledges that there are many things that they will never do or see, such as reaching the nearest rainbow. However, in moments of darkness and stillness, the child imagines what it would be like to take on this impossible task and confront the king with the news of the falling sky. The poem thus offers a poignant meditation on morality and the desire to leave one's mark on the world, even in the face of inevitable change.