Queen Mab 237 FAIRY SONG SHED no tear! O, shed no tear! The flower will bloom another year. Young buds sleep in the root's white core. To ease my breast of melodies,— Overhead! look overhead! Shed no tear. 'Mong the blossoms white and red,- I vanish in the heaven's blue,— Adieu, adieu! John Keats [1795-1821] QUEEN MAB A LITTLE fairy comes at night, Her eyes are blue, her hair is brown, With silver spots upon her wings, And from the moon she flutters down. She has a little silver wand, And when a good child goes to bed She waves her hand from right to left, And makes a circle round its head. And then it dreams of pleasant things, And trees that bear delicious fruit, And bow their branches at a wish: Of arbors filled with dainty scents From lovely flowers that never fade; Bright flies that glitter in the sun, And glow-worms shining in the shade: And talking birds with gifted tongues, But when a bad child goes to bed, From left to right she weaves her rings, And then it dreams all through the night Of only ugly horrid things! Then lions come with glaring eyes, To shed the blood of girls and boys. Then stormy waves rush on to drown, Or raging flames come scorching round, Fierce dragons hover in the air, And serpents crawl along the ground. Then wicked children wake and weep, Thomas Hood (1799-1845] THE FAIRIES OF THE CALDON-LOW A MIDSUMMER LEGEND "AND where have you been, my Mary, And where have you been from me?" "I've been to the top of the Caldon-Low, The Fairies of the Caldon-Low "And what did you see, my Mary, All up on the Caldon-Low?" "I saw the glad sunshine come down, And I saw the merry winds blow." "And what did you hear, my Mary, All up on the Caldon-Hill?" "I heard the drops of the water made, And the ears of the green corn fill." “Oh, tell me all, my Mary- All-all that ever you know; "Then take me on your knee, mother, A hundred fairies danced last night, "And their harp-strings rang so merrily "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; At the dawning of the day! 239 " "Oh! the miller, how he will laugh, "And some they seized the little winds, And each put a horn into his mouth, ""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! When he sees his dwindling flax-field "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 apron for her mother!' The Fairies "With that I could not help but laugh, "And all on the top of the Caldon-Low And nothing I saw but the mossy stones "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 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!" 241 Mary Howitt (1799-1888] THE FAIRIES Up the airy mountain, Trooping all together; Green jacket, red cap, And white owl's feather! |