"'Oh! the miller, how he will laugh, When he sees the mill-dam rise! "And some they seized the little winds, And each put a horn into his mouth, " "And there,' said they, 'the merry winds go And they shall clear the mildew dank '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 "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!" 233 Mary Howitt [1799-1888] THE FAIRIES Up the airy mountain, Trooping all together; Green jacket, red cap, And white owl's feather! Down along the rocky shore Of the black mountain lake, High on the hill-top The old King sits; He is now so old and gray 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 Between the night and morrow, They thought that she was fast asleep, They have kept her ever since By the craggy hill-side, THE FAIRY THRALL ON gossamer nights when the moon is low, You may see the fairies riding. Kling! Klang! Kling! Their stirrups and their bridles ring, And their horns are loud and their bugles blow, They sweep through the night like a whistling wind, She makes no moan, She sorrows in the dark alone, She wails for the love of human kind, "Ah! why did I roam where the elfins ride, They bore me far from my loved one's side, 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 sluts 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; 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 Witness those rings and roundelays |