Classic and Contemporary Poetry
THE WISE FAIRY, by ALICE CARY Poet Analysis Poet's Biography First Line: Once, in a rough, wild country Last Line: "that a golden blessing lies." Subject(s): Fairies; Elves | ||||||||
ONCE, in a rough, wild country, On the other side of the sea, There lived a dear little fairy, And her home was in a tree. A dear little, queer little fairy, And as rich as she could be. To northward and to southward, She could overlook the land, And that was why she had her house In a tree, you understand. For she was the friend of the friendless, And her heart was in her hand. And when she saw poor women Patiently, day by day, Spinning, spinning, and spinning Their lonesome lives away, She would hide in the flax of their distaffs A lump of gold, they say. And when she saw poor ditchers, Knee-deep in some wet dyke, Digging, digging, and digging, To their very graves, belike, She would hide a shining lump of gold Where their spades would be sure to strike. And when she saw poor children Their goats from the pastures take, Or saw them milking and milking, Till their arms were ready to break, What a plashing in their milking-pails Her gifts of gold would make! Sometimes in the night, a fisher Would hear her sweet low call, And all at once a salmon of gold Right out of his net would fall; But what I have to tell you Is the strangest thing of all. If any ditcher, or fisher. Or child, or spinner old, Bought shoes for his feet, or bread to eat, Or a coat to keep from the cold, The gift of the good old fairy Was always trusty gold. But if a ditcher, or fisher, Or spinner, or child so gay, Bought jewels, or wine, or silks so fine, Or staked his pleasure at play, The fairy's gold in his very hold Would turn to a lump of clay. So, by and by the people Got open their stupid eyes: "We must learn to spend to some good end," They said, "if we are wise; 'T is not in the gold we waste or hold, That a golden blessing lies." | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...THE FAERY FOREST by SARA TEASDALE THE LAND OF HEART'S DESIRE by WILLIAM BUTLER YEATS THE FAIRIES by WILLIAM ALLINGHAM THE FAIRY CHILD by JOHN ANSTER THE FORSAKEN MERMAN by MATTHEW ARNOLD THE LITTLE ELF-MAN by JOHN KENDRICK BANGS TAM O' SHANTER by ROBERT BURNS A BOOK OF AIRS: SONG 19. THE FAIRY QUEEN PROSERPINA by THOMAS CAMPION A PROPER NEW BALLAD [ENTITLED THE FAIRIES' FAREWELL] by RICHARD CORBET A SPINSTER'S STINT by ALICE CARY |
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