Who sleep in buds the day."-COLLINS.
Span-long Elves that dance about a pool."
The moon was wandering quietly
Over the starry spotted sky;
And sending down a silvery light
To deck the melancholy night;—
Green leaves caught a pallid hue,
Fresh grass whitened to the view;
All was still o'er earth and trees,
So reposing was the breeze ;—
Here and there a cloud was spread,
Calm and bright above the head,
Steeped in light the moon had shed.
In the mead a little lake
Seemed, like Nature, not awake;
Waveless was its cool clear breast,
By the moonbeams charmed to rest:-
And its lilies pure and white,
Breathed a perfume on the night,
As if to mingle with the quiet light.
I, by meditation led,
On the turf my limbs had spread,
And was gazing on the skies,
With thought-enamoured soul and eyes.
Fancy wandered wildly free,
Herself amusing sportively,
Peopling all the paly air,
With forms fantastically fair;
Or in fine imaginings,
Calling forth divinest things
From the filmy clouds-deep sky-
And stars that beamed so watchfully,
There I lay-by Fancy wrought
Into most luxurious thought;
When upon my listening ear
A soft note stole-delicious-clear;
"Twas such as breathes in distant vale,
From a full-hearted nightingale ;
That bird so skilled a soul to move,
Made up
of music and of love:-
It came with gentle, gentle swell,
And richly rose-and finely fell.-
I looked upon the placid lake,
From which the music seemed to wake,—
And lo! from out each lily's cup
A Fairy started, merrily up,
And with a little rushy wand,
Pushed its flowery boat to land.
Round the lily's snowy whiteness
Broke a playful, sparkling brightness;
As if the stars were hurrying there,
Dancing round the watery car,
To gaze on forms so lightly fair.
Deep within the pebbly pool
Stood the palace, bright and cool;
Transparent were the walls.
The moon sent down its purest light,
Which, though at first so soft from heaven,
More mellow through the wave was given ;-
And even the sun's warm ray at noon
Went there as gently as the moon.
From the cups the Fairies darted,
Which, no longer spell-bound, started
Back again to seek for rest
On the lake's translucent breast.
O'er a hillock, daisy-specked,
And with drooping cowslips decked,
Clustered all the Fairy court,
In the moonbeams formed to sport.
I listened, breathless with delight,
To the Elves, all wild and bright,
Fluttering in the charmed night.
Their wings so delicately played,
That the dew upon the blade
Trembled not-but calmly fair,
Beamed to make the light more rare.
Some shot upward to the moon,—
Went with thought, and came as soon:-
Others on the clouds' edge seated,
All the stars surrounding greeted.
But ere long I saw a Fairy,
Floating on his pinions airy,
Take a honeysuckle horn
And wind it ;-quick the breath was borne
Musically soft, like love,
To the sportive Elves above,
On the clouds, or near the moon :-
And, like falling showers at noon,
In the beams of April-day,
Down they shoot their sparkling way.
"Come," said one, with such a voice
As bade the listening heart rejoice ;-
'Twas like the air in heaven that lives,
Or like the breath which evening gives,
When the mind is Fancy's guest,
And the sun salutes the west
With his purple light, that flushes
The bashful sky, with rosy blushes:-
"Come, ye sparklers, come to earth!
Furl your wings, which fan with mirth:
All, like summer bloom descend-
On our Fairy-queen attend.
Make her couch of flowers, that spring
O'er this meadow ;-deftly bring
The violets, so blue and sweet,
To throw around her pearly feet:—
And the lilies seek and shed,
To form a pillow for her head.
On primrose couch her form shall rest,
With pansies scattered near her breast.
Let the daisy, yellow-hearted,
With its white leaves starry-parted,
And the cowslips, yellowy pale,
Serve her as a flowery veil-
Catch the moonbeams from her eyes,
And delight her as she lies !".
Oh! 'twas a bewitching sight,
To watch those revellers of the night
Wand'ring o'er the silent mead,
To gather flowers to form a bed
For their pretty queen to lie in ;-
The air grew fresher with their flying,—
The dew each form's reflection gave,-
And in its sweet sleep laughed the wave.
The couch was made,—the young queen shed
Her beauty-brightness o'er the bed ;-
Alas!-the breezes from the west
Came to sing her heart to rest ;-
They set a floating cloud before
The placid moon, and all was o'er ;—
The Fairies faded into air,
And left me lying lonely there.
From "The Naiad, a Tale; with other Poems," published anonymously, in 1816, the above exquisitely fanciful lines are taken; we very much regret that the author's name is unknown to us, and feel quite assured that in this regret our readers will participate.
SONG OF FAIRIES ROBBING AN ORCHARD.
TRANSLATED BY LEIGH HUNT,
From some Latin verses, in the old English drama of " Amyntas, or the Impossible Dowry."
We the Fairies, blithe and antic
Of dimensions not gigantic,
Though the moonshine mostly keep us,
Oft in orchards frisk and peep us.
Stolen sweets are always sweeter,
Stolen kisses much completer,
Stolen looks are nice in chapels,
Stolen, stolen be your apples.
When to bed the world are bobbing,
Then's the time for orchard robbing ;
Yet the fruit were scarce worth peeling
Were it not for stealing, stealing.
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