had to learn some Shakespeare in 8th grade..(I did Launcelot Gobbo's speech from "Merchant of Venice)

But...my father had a poem ABOUT recitations which he wrote out for me...and someone accidently threw away..if anyone at all knows any more of this..please fill it in!:

"There was once a little boy
And his name was Robert Reece
And every friday afternoon,
He had to speak a piece.
So many poems thus he learned,
That soon he had a score
Of recitations in his head--
But he still kept learning more.

Now one day he was called upon...(gets muddy here)
And found, the piece he was to speak
Had vanished from his head...
And so he spoke at random...
And this is what he said...

"My beautiful, my beautiful,
Who standith proudly by...
It was the schooner Hesperis..
The breaking waves dashed high!
........
........
Roll on, thou dark blue crested crags..(of passion fells?)
My name is Roland..of Norman hills!

etc...lines from "Under the Spreading Chestnut tree and many other poems...ending with...

"........among the fields of heather(maybe)
The boy stood on the burning deck..
But I go on forever!"

wow...my dad never sang...but he DID recite lots of stuff. If I could re-capture that one, I'd be pleased!