There's not a hag

15

Or ghost shall wag,

Or cry 'ware goblins! where I go ;

But, Robin, I

Their feats will spy,

And send them home with ho, ho, ho!

Whene'er such wanderers I meet,

As from their night-sports they trudge home,
With counterfeiting voice I greet,

And call them on with me to roam;

20

Through woods, through lakes,

25

Through bogs, through brakes,

Or else, unseen, with them I go,
All in the nick

To play some trick,

And frolic it, with ho, ho, ho!

Sometimes I meet them like a man,

Sometimes an ox, sometimes a hound;

And to a horse I turn me can,

To trip and trot about them round.
But if to ride,

My back they stride,

More swift than wind away I

go,

O'er hedge and lands,
Through pools and ponds,
I hurry, laughing, ho, ho, ho!

By wells and rills, in meadows green,
We nightly dance our heyday guise;
And to our fairy King and Queen,
We chant our moonlight minstrelsies.

16 wag, stir

17 'ware, beware of

30

35

40

19 feats, doings 23 counterfeiting, mimicking 28 in the nick, at the right moment 42 heyday guise, frolicsome game 44 minstrelsies, songs

When larks 'gin sing,
Away we fling;

And babes new born steal as we go ;
And elf in bed,

We leave instead,

And wend us laughing, ho, ho, ho !

From hag-bred Merlin's time have I
Thus nightly revell'd to and fro ;
And for my pranks men call me by
The name of Robin Good-fellow.
Fiends, ghosts, and sprites,
Who haunt the nights,

The hags and goblins do me know;
And beldames old

My feats have told,

So valé, valé! ho, ho, ho!

60

Unknown

* II *

THE FAIRY PRINCE

It was intill a pleasant time,
Upcn a summer's day,
The noble Earl Mar's daughter
Went forth to sport and play.

And as she play'd and sported

Below a green oak tree,
There she saw a sprightly doo
Set on a branch so hie.

'O Coo-my-doo, my Love so true,
'If ye'll come down to me,
'Ye'll have a cage of good red gold
'Instead of simple tree.'

50 wend, go

Co vale, farewell

51 hag-bred, witch-born: Merlin, a magician
7 do, dove
8 hie, high

I intill, in
12 tree, wood

5

IO

And she had not these words well spoke,
Nor yet these words well said,
'Till Coo-my-doo flew from the branch,
And lighted on her head.

Then she has brought this pretty bird
Home to her bower and hall,
And made him shine as fair a bird
As any of them all.

When day was gone and night was come,

About the evening-tide,

This lady spied a sprightly youth
Stand straight up by her side.

15

20

'O who are ye, young man?' she said,

25

"'Twas she that turn'd me in a doo,

'To fly where'er I will.

'And it was but this very day

6 That I came o'er the sea :

'I loved you at a single look ; 'With you I'll live and dee.'

—'O Coo-my-doo, my Love so true,

No more from me ye'll gae.'

That's never my intent, my Love;
'As ye said, it shall be sae.'

Thus he has stay'd in bower with her
For twenty years and three ;

Till there came a lord of high renown
To court this fair ladye.

35

40

But still his proffer she refused,
And all his presents too;
Says, 'I'm content to live alone
'With my bird Coo-my-doo.'

Her father sware a solemn oath,

Among the nobles all,
'To-morrow, ere I eat or drink,
'That bird I'll surely kill.'

The bird was sitting in his cage,
And heard what he did say ;

45

50

He jump'd upon the window-sill :

55

"Tis time I was away.'

Then Coo-my-doo took flight and flew
Beyond the raging sea,

And lighted at his mother's castle,

On a tower of gold so hie.

The Queen his mother was walking out,

To see what she could see,

60

And there she saw her darling son

Set on the tower so hie.

'Get dancers here to dance,' she said,

65

'And minstrels for to play;

'For here's my dear son Florentine

'Come back with me to stay.'

-'Instead of dancers to dance, mother,

'Or minstrels for to play,

70

'Turn four-and-twenty well-wight men

'Like storks, in feathers gray;

'My seven sons in seven swans,
Above their heads to flee;
‘And I myself a gay goshawk,
'A bird of high degree.'

45 proffer, offer

71 well-wight, stalwart

75 goshawk, large hawk

75

This flock of birds took flight and flew
Beyond the raging sea;

They landed near the Earl Mar's castle,
Took shelter in every tree.

These birds flew up from bush and tree,

And lighted on the hall;

And when the wedding-train came forth
Flew down among them all.

80

The storks they seized the boldest men, 85 That they could not fight or flee;

The swans they bound the bridegroom fast
Unto a green oak tree.

They flew around the bride-maidens,
Then on the bride's own head;

And with the twinkling of an eye,

The bride and they were fled !

90

* 12 *

Unknown

THE ANCIENT MARINER

PART I

IT is an ancient Mariner,

And he stoppeth one of three.

-"By thy long gray beard and glittering eye, 'Now wherefore stopp'st thou me?

'The Bridegroom's doors are open'd wide,

5

'And I am next of kin ;

'The guests are met, the feast is set: 'May'st hear the merry din !'

He holds him with his skinny hand,

'There was a ship,' quoth he.

—‘Hold off! unhand me, gray-beard loon !'

Eftsoons his hand dropt he.

12 eftsoons, at once

IO