Minnie and Winnie
    Slept in a shell.
Sleep, little ladies!
    And they slept well.

Pink was the shell within,
    Silver without;
Sounds of the great sea
    Wander'd about.

Sleep, little ladies!
    Wake not soon!
Echo on echo
    Dies to the moon.

Two bright stars
    Peep'd into the shell.
"What are they dreaming of?
    Who can tell?"

Started a green linnet
    Out of the croft;
Wake, little ladies,
    The sun is aloft!

About the headline (FAQ)

First published in St. Nicholas, February 1880, revised 1884

Text Authorship:

• by Alfred Tennyson, Lord (1809 - 1892), no title, appears in Child-Songs [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):

• by Jean Berger, né Arthur Schloßberg (1909 - 2002), "Minnie and Winnie", published 1959 [ SSA chorus and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
• by Ernest Bullock, Sir (1890 - 1979), "Minnie and Winnie", published 1952 [ SS chorus and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
• by Robert Coningsby Clarke (1879 - 1934), "Minnie and Winnie", published 1903 [ voice and piano ], from Song-Cameos [sung text not yet checked]
• by Cuthbert Forster , "Minnie and Winnie", published 1925 [ SA chorus and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
• by Joseph Groocock , "Minnie and Winnie", published c1954 [ unison chorus and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
• by Hubert James Hales (1902 - 1965), "Minnie and Winnie", published 1935 [ unison chorus and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
• by Sidney Homer (1864 - 1953), "Minnie and Winnie", op. 8 (Eight Poems by Tennyson) no. 2, published 1901 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
• by Emily Tennyson, née Sellwood (1813 - 1896), "Minnie and Winnie", published 1880 [ voice and piano ], from Two Child Songs [sung text not yet checked]
• by Alec Wilder (1907 - 1980), "Minnie and Winnie", published 1965 [ voice and piano ], from Lullabies and Night Songs [sung text not yet checked]
• by Becket Williams , "Little ladies", published 1927 [ voice and piano ], from Two Child Songs [sung text not yet checked]

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2007-06-14
Line count: 20
Word count: 71