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"And what were the words, my Mary, That you did hear them say?"
"I'll tell you all, my mother, But let me have my way.
"Some of them played with the water, And rolled it down the hill; 'And this,' they said, 'shall speedily turn The poor old miller's mill.
"'For there has been no water Ever since the first of May; And a busy man will the miller be At the dawning of the day!
"'Oh! the miller, how he will laugh, When he sees the mill-dam rise!
The jolly old miller, how he will laugh, Till the tears fill both his eyes!'
"And some they seized the little winds, That sounded over the hill, And each put a horn into his mouth, And blew both loud and shrill:
"'And there,' said they, 'the merry winds go Away from every horn; And they shall clear the mildew dank From the blind old widow's corn:
"'Oh, the poor blind widow-- Though she has been blind so long, She'll be merry enough when the mildew's gone, And the corn stands tall and strong!'
"And some they brought the brown linseed And flung it down the Low: 'And this,' said they, 'by the sunrise In the weaver's croft shall grow!
"'Oh, the poor lame weaver!
How will he laugh outright When he sees his dwindling flax-field All full of flowers by night!'
"And then outspoke a brownie, With a long beard on his chin: 'I have spun up all the tow,' said he, 'And I want some more to spin.
"'I've spun a piece of hempen cloth And I want to spin another-- A little sheet for Mary's bed, And an ap.r.o.n for her mother!'
"With that I could not help but laugh, And I laughed out loud and free; And then on the top of the Caldon-Low There was no one left but me.
"And all on the top of the Caldon-Low The mists were cold and gray, And nothing I saw but the mossy stones That round about me lay.
"But, coming down from the hill-top, I heard, afar below, How busy the jolly miller was, And how merry the wheel did go!
"And I peeped into the widow's field, And, sure enough, was seen The yellow ears of the mildewed corn All standing stout and green.
"And down the weaver's croft I stole, To see if the flax were sprung; And I met the weaver at his gate With the good news on his tongue!
"Now, this is all I heard, mother, And all that I did see; So, prithee, make my bed, mother, For I'm tired as I can be!"
Mary Howitt [1799-1888]
THE FAIRIES
Up the airy mountain, Down the rushy glen, We daren't go a-hunting For fear of little men; Wee folk, good folk, Trooping all together; Green jacket, red cap, And white owl's feather!
Down along the rocky sh.o.r.e Some make their home, They live on crispy pancakes Of yellow tide-foam; Some in the reeds Of the black mountain lake, With frogs for their watch-dogs, All night awake.
High on the hill-top The old King sits; He is now so old and gray He's nigh lost his wits.
With a bridge of white mist Columbkill he crosses, On his stately journeys From Slieveleague to Rosses; Or going up with music On cold starry nights To sup with the Queen Of the gay Northern Lights.
They stole little Bridget For seven years long; When she came down again Her friends were all gone.
They took her lightly back, Between the night and morrow, They thought that she was fast asleep, But she was dead with sorrow.
They have kept her ever since Deep within the lake, On a bed of flag-leaves, Watching till she wake.
By the craggy hill-side, Through the mosses bare, They have planted thorn-trees For pleasure here and there.
If any man so daring As dig them up in spite, He shall find their sharpest thorns In his bed at night.
Up the airy mountain, Down the rushy glen, We daren't go a-hunting For fear of little men; Wee folk, good folk, Trooping all together; Green jacket, red cap, And white owl's feather!
William Allingham [1824-1889]
THE FAIRY THRALL
On gossamer nights when the moon is low, And stars in the mist are hiding, Over the hill where the foxgloves grow You may see the fairies riding.
Kling! Klang! Kling!
Their stirrups and their bridles ring, And their horns are loud and their bugles blow, When the moon is low.
They sweep through the night like a whistling wind, They pa.s.s and have left no traces; But one of them lingers far behind The flight of the fairy faces.
She makes no moan, She sorrows in the dark alone, She wails for the love of human kind, Like a whistling wind.
"Ah! why did I roam where the elfins ride, Their glimmering steps to follow?
They bore me far from my loved one's side, To wander o'er hill and hollow.
Kling! Klang! Kling!
Their stirrups and their bridles ring, But my heart is cold in the cold night-tide, Where the elfins ride."
Mary C. G. Byron [1861-
FAREWELL TO THE FAIRIES
Farewell, rewards and fairies!
Good housewives now may say, For now foul s.l.u.ts in dairies Do fare as well as they.
And though they sweep their hearths no less Than maids were wont to do, Yet who of late, for cleanliness, Finds sixpence in her shoe?
Lament, lament, old abbeys, The fairies' lost command!
They did but change priests' babies, But some have changed your land; And all your children sprung from thence, Are now grown Puritanes; Who live as changelings ever since, For love of your demains.
At morning and at evening both You merry were and glad; So little care of sleep or sloth These pretty ladies had; When Tom came home from labor, Or Ciss to milking rose, Then merrily merrily went their tabor And nimbly went their toes.
Witness those rings and roundelays Of theirs, which yet remain, Were footed in Queen Mary's days On many a gra.s.sy plain; But since of late, Elizabeth, And later, James came in, They never danced on any heath As when the time hath been.
By which we note the fairies Were of the old profession; Their songs were Ave-Maries, Their dances were procession.
But now, alas! they all are dead, Or gone beyond the seas; Or farther for religion fled; Or else they take their ease.
