'Twas autumn daybreak gold and wild While past St. Ann's grey tower they shuffled Three beggars spied a fairy-child In crimson mantle muffled. The daybreak lighted up her face All pink, and sharp, and emerald-eyed; She looked on them a little space, And shrill as hautboy cried: -- 'O three tall footsore men in rags Which walking this gold morn I see, What will ye give me from your bags For fairy kisses three?' The first, that was a reddish man, Out of his bundle takes a crust: 'La, by the tombstones of St. Ann There's fee, if fee ye must!' The second, that was a chestnut man, Out of his bundle draws a bone: 'La, by the belfry of St. Ann, And all my breakfast gone!' The third, that was a yellow man, Out of his bundle picks a groat, 'La, by the Angel of St. Ann, And I must go without.' That changeling, lean and icy-lipped, Touched crust, and bone, and groat, and lo! Beneath her finger taper-tipped The magic all ran through. Instead of crust a peacock pie, Instead of bone sweet venison, Instead of groat a white lily With seven blooms thereon. And each fair cup was deep with wine: Such was the changeling's charity The sweet feast was enough for nine, But not too much for three. O toothsome meat in jelly froze! O tender haunch of elfin stag! Oh, rich the odour that arose! Oh, plump with scraps each bag! There, in the daybreak gold and wild, Each merry-hearted beggar man Drank deep unto the fairy child, And blessed the good St. Ann. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...GO SLEEP, MA HONEY by EDWARD D. BARKER WAR DEAD by PATRICK JOHN MCALISTER ANDERSON PEARLS OF THE FAITH: 89, 90. MU'HTI, MANI'H by EDWIN ARNOLD AT ONE O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING by CHARLES BAUDELAIRE BETSY LEE by THOMAS EDWARD BROWN BIRD MINSTRELS by GRACE E. BUSH SONG: A LADY, RESCUED FROM DEATH BY A KNIGHT, WHO LEAVES HER by THOMAS CAREW |