'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...FAIRYLAND (1) by EDGAR ALLAN POE SONNET: 151 by WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE ON A CURATE'S COMPLAINT OF HARD DUTY by JONATHAN SWIFT DANUBE AND THE EUXINE by WILLIAM EDMONSTOUNE AYTOUN OUT OF THE VAST by AUGUSTUS WRIGHT BAMBERGER HIS PRAYER TO PECUNIA by RICHARD BARNFIELD SONNETS FOR NEW YORK CITY: 1. NEW YORK AT SUNRISE by ANNA HEMPSTEAD BRANCH THE GLADNESS OF NATURE by WILLIAM CULLEN BRYANT THE APE AND THE FOX, ON THE FRUITS OF GREEDINESS AND CREDULITY by JOHN BYROM |