THE FAIRIES OF THE CALDON-LOW
"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
midsummer night to see!"
"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 water made,
And
the ears of the green corn fill."
"Oh!
tell me all, my Mary,
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.
A
hundred fairies danced last night,
And
the harpers they were nine.
"And
their harp strings rung so merrily
To
their dancing feet so small:
But
oh, the words of their talking
Were
merrier far than all."
"And
what were the words, my Mary,
That
then you heard 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;
And
a busy man will the miller be
At
dawning of the day.
"Oh,
the miller, how he will laugh
When
he sees the milldam rise!
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,
And
blew both loud and shrill.
"'And
there,' they said, '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 blithe enough when the mildew's gone
And
the corn stands tall and strong.'
"And
some they brought the brown lintseed,
And
flung it down from the Low;
'And
this,' they said, 'by the sunrise,
In
the weaver's croft shall grow.
"'Oh,
the poor, lame weaver,
How
he will laugh outright
When
he sees his dwindling flax-field
All
full of flowers by night!'
"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.'
"With
that I could not help but laugh,
And
I laughed out loud and free;
And
then on the top of the Caldon-Low
There
was no one left but me.
"And
all on the top of the Caldon-Low
The
mists were cold and gray,
And
nothing I saw but the mossy stones,
That
round about me lay.
"But
coming down from the hilltop
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,
sure enough, were seen
The
yellow ears of mildewed corn
All
standing stout and green.
"And
down by the weaver's croft I stole,
To
see if the fax were sprung;
And
I met the weaver at his gate
With
the good news on his tongue.
"Now
this is all I hear, mother,
And
all that I did see;
So
prithee, make my bed, mother,
For
I'm tired as I can be."
--Mary Howitt