A quiet evening on a farm unfolds in these lines. The speaker watches cows make their slow way home as the sound of their bells fills the air — “Klang! Kling!” gives us that bright, ringing note right at the start. There’s a soft, sleepy drift to the whole procession: black, brown, and white animals moving across the grass, carrying bits of daisies and clover with them. The speaker feels a calm, tender fondness for these creatures, seeing not just livestock but peaceful companions at the end of the day. Everything is unhurried and sure; each cow will reach the milking stall, and the flowers she’s gathered will, in a roundabout way, become milk for a child’s supper. The mood is one of cozy, drowsy contentment—a little moment of everyday magic where bells, flowers, and homecoming all braid together into a lullaby-like scene.
Cow Song — Summary
Klang! Kling! the cow-bells ring As the cows come home at night.
Slowly they pass over the grass, Black and brown and white.
Sleepy and slow each one will go With daisies and clover in her;
At the milking stall she'll give them all As milk for Kenton's dinner.