A Midsummer Legend

Mary Howitt

1799-1888

"And where have you been, my Mary, 

    And where have you been from me?"

"I’ve been to the top of the Caldon-Low,

   The midsummer night to see!"




"And what did you see, my Mary,

   All upon the Caldon-Low?"

"I saw the glad sunshine come down,

   And I saw the merry winds blow."




"And what did you hear, my Mary, 

   All up on the Caldon-Hill?" 

"I heard the drops of the water made, 

   And the ears of the green corn fill." 




"Oh, tell me all, my Mary—

   All-all that ever you know;

For you must have seen the fairies

   Last night on the Caldon-Low!"




"Then take me on your knee, mother,

   And listen, mother of mine:   

A hundred fairies danced last night,

   And the harpers they were nine.   




"And their harp-strings tang so merrily

   To their dancing feet so small;

But, on!  the words of their talking

   Were merrier far than all!"




"And what were the words, my Mary,

   That you did hear them say?"

"I’ll tell you all, my mother,

   But let me have my way.




"Some of them played with the water,

   And rolled it down the hill;

‘And this,’ they said, ‘shall speedily turn 

   The poor old miller’s mill.




"’For there has been no water

   Ever since the first of May;

And a busy man will the miller be

   At the dawning of the day!




"’Oh! the miller, how he will laugh,

   When he sees the mill-dam rise!

The jolly old miller, how  he will laugh,

   Till the tears fill both his eyes!’




"And some they seized the little winds,

   That sounded over the hill,

And each put a horn into his mouth,

   And blew both loud and shrill:




"’And there,’ said they, ‘the merry winds go

   Away from every horn;

And they shall clear the mildew dank

   From the blind old widow’s corn.




"’Oh, the poor blind widow—

   Though she has been blind so long,

She’ll be merry enough when the mildew’s gone,

   And the corn stands tall and strong!’




"And some they brought the brown linseed

   And flung it down the Low:

‘And this,’ said they, ‘by the sunrise

   In the weaver’s croft shall grow!




"’Oh, the poor lame weaver!

   How will he laugh outright

When he sees his dwindling flax-field

   All full of flowers by night!’




"And then outspoke a brownie,

   With a long beard on his chin:

‘I have spun up all the tow,’ said he,

   ‘And I want some more to spin.




"’I’ve spun a piece of hempen cloth

   And I want to spin another—

A little sheet for Mary’s bed,

   And an apron for her mother!’




"With that I could not help but laugh,

   And I laughed out loud and free;

And then on the top of Caldon-Low

   There was no on left but me.




"And all on the top of the Caldon-Low

   The mists were cold and gray,

And nothing I saw but the mossy stones

   That round about me lay.




"But, coming down from the hill-top,

   I heard, afar below, 

How busy the jolly miller was,

   And how merry the wheel did go!




"And I peeped into the window’s field,

   And, sure enough, was seen

The yellow ears of the mildewed corn

   All standing stout and green.




"And down the weaver’s croft I stole,

   To see if the flax were sprung;

And I met the weaver at his gate

   With the good news on his tongue!




"Now, this is all I heard, mother,

   And all that I did see;

So, prithee, make my bed mother,

   For I’m tired as I can be!"