And what thine errand here?”

“’Tis merry, ’tis merry, in Fairyland,

When Fairy Birds are singing,

When the Court doth ride by their Monarch’s side,

With bit and bridle ringing:

“And gaily shines the Fairyland—

But all is glistening show,

Like the idle gleam that December’s beam

Can dart on ice and snow.

“And fading, like that varied gleam,