'Tis moonlight on Trebarwith Sands, And moonlight on their seas, Lone in a cove a cottage stands Enclustered in with trees. Snuffing its thin faint smoke afar An Ogre prowls, and he Smells supper; for where humans are, Rich dainties too may be. Sweet as a larder to a mouse, So to him staring down, Seemed the small-windowed moonlit house, With jasmine overgrown. He snorted, as the billows snort In darkness of the night, Betwixt his lean locks tawny-swart He glowered on the sight. Into the garden sweet with peas He put his wooden shoe, And bending back the apple trees Crept covetously through; Then, stooping, with an impious eye Stared through the lattice small, And spied two children which did lie Asleep, against the wall. Into their dreams no shadow fell Of his disastrous thumb Groping discreet, and gradual, Across the quiet room. But scarce his nail had scraped the cot Wherein these children lay, As if his malice were forgot, It suddenly did stay. For faintly in the ingle-nook He heard a cradle-song, That rose into his thoughts and woke Terror them among. For she who in the kitchen sat Darning by the fire, Guileless of what he would be at, Sang sweet as wind or wire: -- 'Lullay, thou little tiny child By-by, lullay, lullie; Jesu in glory, meek and mild, This night remember thee! 'Fiend, witch, and goblin, foul and wild, He deems them smoke to be; Lullay, thou little tiny child, By-by, lullay, lullie!' The Ogre lifted up his eyes Into the moon's pale ray, And gazed upon her leopard-wise, Cruel and clear as day; He snarled in gluttony and fear -- The wind blows dismally -- 'Jesu in storm my lambs be near, By-by, lullay, lullie!' And like a ravenous beast which sees The hunter's icy eye, So did this wretch in wrath confess Sweet Jesu's mastery. With gaunt locks dangling, crouched he, then Drew backward from his prey, Through tangled apple-boughs again He wrenched and rent his way. Out on Trebarwith Sands he broke, The waves yelled back his cry, Gannet and cormorant echo woke As he went striding by. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...ALL FOOLS' CALENDER by DONALD (GRADY) DAVIDSON BEN KARSHOOK'S WISDOM by ROBERT BROWNING A TOWN WINDOW by JOHN DRINKWATER THE WIDOW'S MITE by FREDERICK LOCKER-LAMPSON THE HOUSE OF LIFE: 74. ST. LUKE THE PAINTER (OLD & NEW ART) by DANTE GABRIEL ROSSETTI IN MEMORIAM A.H.H.: 82 by ALFRED TENNYSON CRUCIFIXION TO THE WORLD BY THE CROSS OF CHRIST by ISAAC WATTS |