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, 10
The midsummer night to see!"
"And what did you see, my Mary,
All up on the Caldon-Low?"
"I saw the blithe sunshine come down,
And I saw the merry winds blow." 15
"And what did you hear, my Mary,
All up on the Caldon Hill?"
"I heard the drops the water made,
And I heard the corn-ears fill."
"Oh, tell me all, my Mary— 5
All, all that ever you know;
For you must have seen the fairies
Last night on the Caldon-Low."
"Then take me on your knee, mother,
And listen, mother of mine: 10
A hundred fairies danced last night,
And the harpers they were nine;
"And merry was the glee of the harp-strings,
And their dancing feet so small;
But, oh! the sound of their talking 15
Was merrier far than all!"
"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. 20
"And some they 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 5
Ever since the first of May;
And a busy man shall the miller be
By the dawning of the day!
"'Oh, the miller, how he will laugh,
When he sees the mill-dam rise! 10
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, 15
And blew so sharp and shrill:
"'And there,' said they, 'the merry winds go
Away from every horn;
And those shall clear the mildew dank
From the blind old widow's corn: 20
"'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 stiff and strong!'
"And some they brought the brown linseed, 5
And flung it down from the Low:
'And this,' said they, 'by the sunrise,
In the weaver's croft shall grow!
"'Oh, the poor lame weaver!
How he will laugh outright 10
When he sees his dwindling flax-field
All full of flowers by night!'
"And then up spoke a brownie,
With a long beard on his chin:
'I have spun up all the tow,' said he, 15
'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.'
"And with that I could not help but laugh,
And I laughed out loud and free;
And then on top of the Caldon-Low 5
There was no one left but me.
"And all on top of the Caldon-Low
The mists were cold and gray,
And nothing I saw but the mossy stones
That round about me lay. 10
"But, as I came 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, 15
And sure enough were seen
The yellow ears of the mildewed corn
All standing stiff and green!
"And down by the weaver's croft I stole,
To see if the flax were high;
But I saw the weaver at his gate,
With the good news in his eye!
"Now this is all I heard, mother, 5
And all that I did see;
So, prithee, make my bed, mother,
For I'm tired as I can be!"
FELICIA DOROTHEA HEMANS
England, 1793-1835
Night-scented Flowers
"Call back your odors, lonely flowers,
From the night-wind call them back; 10
And fold your leaves till the laughing hours
Come forth in the sunbeam's track.
"The lark lies couched in her grassy nest,
And the honey-bee is gone,
And all bright things are away to rest; 15
Why watch ye here alone?"
"Nay, let our shadowy beauty bloom
When the stars give quiet light,
And let us offer our faint perfume
On the silent shrine of night.
"Call it not wasted, the scent we lend 5
To the breeze when no step is nigh:
Oh! thus forever the earth should send
Her grateful breath on high!
"And love us as emblems, night's dewy flowers,
Of hopes unto sorrow given, 10
That spring through the gloom of the darkest hours,
Looking alone to heaven."