THE QUEEN OF FAIRIES

Come follow, follow me,

You fairy elves that be;

And circle round this green,

Come follow me, your Queen.

Hand in hand let's dance a round,

for this place is fairy ground.

When mortals are at rest,

and snoring in their nest,

Unheard and unespied

Through keyholes we do glide:

Over tables, stools and shelves,

We trip it with our fairy elves.

And if the house be fowl,

Or platter, dish, or bowl,

Upstairs we nimble creep,

And find the wretch asleep;

Then we pinch their arms and thighs,

None escapes; nor none espies.

But if the house be swept,

And from uncleanness kept,

We praise the household maid,

For surely she is paid:

for we do use before we go

To drop a tester in her shoe...

Upon a mushroom's head,

Our table do we spread;

A grain of rye, or wheat,

Is manchet. which we eat;

Pearly drops of dew we drink

In acorn cups filled to the brink.

The brains of nightingales

With unctuous dew of snails,

Between two nutshells stewed

Is meat that's easily chewed;

And the beards of little mice

Do make a feast of wondrous price.

On tops of dewy grass,

So nimbly do we pass,

The young and tender stalk

Ne'er bends where do we walk;

Yet in the morning may be seen

Where we, the night before, have been.

The grasshopper, gnat and fly

Serve for our minstrelsy;

Grace said, we dance awhile,

And so the time beguile:

And when the moon doth hider her head,

The glow worm lights us home to bed.