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(From “Child Poems”)
MY king sat out on his castle wall, | |
| And a royal command gave he: | |
| “Come hither, come hither, ye people all, | |
| And a fairy tale bring me, | |
| For of grammar, and crammer, and orthodox hammer, | 5 |
| I have had quite enough,” quoth he. | |
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| My liege’s kingdom is small as yet, | |
| And his subjects are only two; | |
| And sometimes it happens his Grace will fret, | |
| “Why, you dear, I have only you!” | 10 |
| And in such sad case it becomes my place | |
| The imperial will to do. | |
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| So I peeled a willow, so white, so white, | |
| The wand that the fairies love; | |
| And I gathered the meadow-sweet, soft and light, | 15 |
| And the fox’s crimson glove; | |
| And I made a couch for the first stray sprite, | |
| With the down of a silver dove. | |
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| “Fairy, come home! | |
| Fairy, come home! | 20 |
| Where hast thou wandered to? | |
| Where dost thou roam? | |
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| “Here is thy dwelling, | |
| Here is thy place; | |
| Fairy king, fairy king, | 25 |
| Show us thy face!” | |
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| Three times round the meadow | |
| The little song did go; | |
| Then there came a peal of bells | |
| Chiming soft and low: | 30 |
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| “Coming, coming, coming, | |
| No one need to wait, | |
| Wearily beseeching, | |
| At the fairy gate. | |
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| “For the fairies, like the mortals | 35 |
| Love to be loved; | |
| And the fairy palace portals | |
| Lightly are moved.” | |
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| Then a rain of footsteps | |
| Sounded on the sward, | 40 |
| And a page came kneeling— | |
| “What wills my lord?” | |
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| “I will a tournament,” said he, | |
| “Where no one shall be killed; | |
| Where all shall gain the victory, | 45 |
| And be supremely skilled.” | |
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| Up rode a fairy paladin, | |
| With coat of beetle’s mail; | |
| Before the glistening green and gold | |
| Sure any heart must quail. | 50 |
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| “I see no foe,” the king complained, | |
| “But wait,” the page implored. | |
| And then the fairy paladin | |
| Drew out a shining sword; | |
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| He cut and thrust all round about, | 55 |
| At neither sight nor sound, | |
| Until a dastard knight they saw | |
| Lie dead upon the ground. | |
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| “The pledge is broken!” cried the king, | |
| “Not so,” the knight replied, | 60 |
| “It was my meaner self I slew,— | |
| I live, though it has died.” | |
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| Again the paladin rode forth, | |
| And this time seemed to seek | |
| Some traitor that eluded him— | 65 |
| The little king must speak; | |
| “Where is the foe, Sir Knight, on whom | |
| You would your vengeance wreak?” | |
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| “It was a falsehood,” said the knight, | |
| “They uttered of my friend; | 70 |
| I tracked it down, and hunted it, | |
| And thus its life doth end!” | |
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| Once more the paladin rode forth— | |
| Beneath his horse’s feet | |
| There seemed to be an enemy | 75 |
| That he was loth to meet! | |
| “Can you fear anything, Sir Knight?” | |
| His smile was sad and sweet. | |
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| “It was a cruel injury, | |
| An unforgiven pain; | 80 |
| But there it lieth tranquilly,— | |
| It will not stir again.” | |
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| Then lightly springs my little king, | |
| And merrily he sings, | |
| “I too will be a paladin, | 85 |
| And fight with evil things.” | |
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