第 46 节
作者:乐乐陶陶      更新:2021-02-20 05:15      字数:9322
  When the moon is low。
  They sweep through the night like a whistling wind;
  They pass and have left no traces;
  But one of them lingers far behind
  The flight of the fairy faces。
  She makes no moan;
  She sorrows in the dark alone;
  She wails for the love of human kind;
  Like a whistling wind。
  〃Ah! why did I roam where the elfins ride;
  Their glimmering steps to follow?
  They bore me far from my loved one's side;
  To wander o'er hill and hollow。
  Kling! Klang! Kling!
  Their stirrups and their bridles ring;
  But my heart is cold in the cold night…tide;
  Where the elfins ride。〃
  Mary C。 G。 Byron '1861…
  FAREWELL TO THE FAIRIES
  Farewell; rewards and fairies!
  Good housewives now may say;
  For now foul sluts in dairies
  Do fare as well as they。
  And though they sweep their hearths no less
  Than maids were wont to do;
  Yet who of late; for cleanliness;
  Finds sixpence in her shoe?
  Lament; lament; old abbeys;
  The fairies' lost command!
  They did but change priests' babies;
  But some have changed your land;
  And all your children sprung from thence;
  Are now grown Puritanes;
  Who live as changelings ever since;
  For love of your demains。
  At morning and at evening both
  You merry were and glad;
  So little care of sleep or sloth
  These pretty ladies had;
  When Tom came home from labor;
  Or Ciss to milking rose;
  Then merrily merrily went their tabor
  And nimbly went their toes。
  Witness those rings and roundelays
  Of theirs; which yet remain;
  Were footed in Queen Mary's days
  On many a grassy plain;
  But since of late; Elizabeth;
  And later; James came in;
  They never danced on any heath
  As when the time hath been。
  By which we note the fairies
  Were of the old profession;
  Their songs were Ave…Maries;
  Their dances were procession。
  But now; alas! they all are dead;
  Or gone beyond the seas;
  Or farther for religion fled;
  Or else they take their ease。
  A tell…tale in their company
  They never could endure;
  And whoso kept not secretly
  Their mirth; was punished sure;
  It was a just and Christian deed
  To pinch such black and blue:
  Oh; how the Commonwealth doth need
  Such justices as you!
  Richard Corbet '1582…1635'
  THE FAIRY FOLK
  Come cuddle close in daddy's coat
  Beside the fire so bright;
  And hear about the fairy folk
  That wander in the night。
  For when the stars are shining clear
  And all the world is still;
  They float across the silver moon
  From hill to cloudy hill。
  Their caps of red; their cloaks of green;
  Are hung with silver bells;
  And when they're shaken with the wind
  Their merry ringing swells。
  And riding on the crimson moth;
  With black spots on her wings;
  They guide them down the purple sky
  With golden bridle rings。
  They love to visit girls and boys
  To see how sweet they sleep;
  To stand beside their cosy cots
  And at their faces peep。
  For in the whole of fairy…land
  They have no finer sight
  Than little children sleeping sound
  With faces rosy bright。
  On tip…toe crowding round their heads;
  When bright the moonlight beams;
  They whisper little tender words
  That fill their minds with dreams;
  And when they see a sunny smile;
  With lightest finger tips
  They lay a hundred kisses sweet
  Upon the ruddy lips。
  And then the little spotted moths
  Spread out their crimson wings;
  And bear away the fairy crowd
  With shaking bridle rings。
  Come; bairnies; hide in daddy's coat;
  Beside the fire so bright …
  Perhaps the little fairy folk
  Will visit you to…night。
  Robert Bird '1867…
  THE FAIRY BOOK
  When Mother takes the Fairy Book
  And we curl up to hear;
  'Tis 〃All aboard for Fairyland!〃
  Which seems to be so near。
  For soon we reach the pleasant place
  Of Once Upon a Time;
  Where birdies sing the hour of day;
  And flowers talk in rhyme;
  Where Bobby is a velvet Prince;
  And where I am a Queen;
  Where one can talk with animals;
  And walk about unseen;
  Where Little People live in nuts;
  And ride on butterflies;
  And wonders kindly come to pass
  Before your very eyes;
  Where candy grows on every bush;
  And playthings on the trees;
  And visitors pick basketfuls
  As often as they please。
  It is the nicest time of day …
  Though Bedtime is so near; …
  When Mother takes the Fairy Book
  And we curl up to hear。
  Abbie Farwell Brown '1875…1927'
  THE VISITOR
  The white goat Amaryllis;
  She wandered at her will
  At time of daffodillies
  Afar and up the hill:
  We hunted and we holloa'd
  And back she came at dawn;
  But what d'you think had followed? …
  A little; pagan Faun!
  His face was like a berry。
  His ears were high and pricked:
  Tip…tap … his hoofs came merry
  As up the path he clicked;
  A junket for his winning
  We set in dairy delf;
  He eat it … peart and grinning
  As Christian as yourself!
  He stayed about the steading
  A fortnight; say; or more;
  A blanket for his bedding
  We spread beside the door;
  And when the cocks crowed clearly
  Before the dawn was ripe;
  He'd call the milkmaids cheerly
  Upon a reedy pipe!
  That fortnight of his staying
  The work went smooth as silk:
  The hens were all in laying;
  The cows were all in milk;
  And then … and then one morning
  The maids woke up at day
  Without his oaten warning; …
  And found he'd gone away。
  He left no trace behind him;
  But still the milkmaids deem
  That they; perhaps; may find him
  With butter and with cream:
  Beside the door they set them
  In bowl and golden pat;
  But no one comes to get them …
  Unless; maybe; the cat。
  The white goat Amaryllis;
  She wanders at her will
  At time of daffodillies;
  Away up Woolcombe hill;
  She stays until the morrow;
  Then back she comes at dawn;
  But never … to our sorrow …
  The little; pagan Faun。
  Patrick R。 Chalmers '18
  THE LITTLE ELF
  I met a little Elf…man; once;
  Down where the lilies blow。
  I asked him why he was so small;
  And why he didn't grow。
  He slightly frowned; and with his eye
  He looked me through and through。
  〃I'm quite as big for me;〃 said he;
  〃As you are big for you。〃
  John Kendrick Bangs '1862…1922'
  THE SATYRS AND THE MOON
  Within the wood behind the hill
  The moon got tangled in the trees。
  Her splendor made the branches thrill
  And thrilled the breeze。
  The satyrs in the grotto bent
  Their heads to see the wondrous sight。
  〃It is a god in banishment
  That stirs the night。〃
  The little satyr looked and guessed:
  〃It is an apple that one sees;
  Brought from that garden of the West …
  Hesperides。〃
  〃It is a cyclops' glaring eye。〃
  〃A temple dome from Babylon。〃
  〃A Titan's cup of ivory。〃
  〃A little sun。〃
  The tiny satyr jumped for joy;
  And kicked hoofs in utmost glee。
  〃It is a wondrous silver toy …
  Bring it to me!〃
  A great wind whistled through the blue
  And caught the moon and tossed it high;
  A bubble of pale fire it flew
  Across the sky。
  The satyrs gasped and looked and smiled;
  And wagged their heads from side to side;
  Except their shaggy little child;
  Who cried and cried。
  Herbert S。 Gorman '1893…
  THE CHILDREN
  THE CHILDREN
  When the lessons and tasks are all ended;
  And the school for the day is dismissed;
  The little ones gather around me;
  To bid me good night and be kissed;
  Oh; the little white arms that encircle
  My neck in their tender embrace!
  Oh; the smiles that are halos of heaven;
  Shedding sunshine of love on my face!
  And when they are gone; I sit dreaming
  Of my childhood too lovely to last; …
  Of joy that my heart will remember;
  While it wakes to the pulse of the past;
  Ere the world and its wickedness made me
  A partner of sorrow and sin;
  When the glory of God was about me;
  And the glory of gladness within。
  All my heart grows as weak as a woman's;
  And the fountain of feeling will flow;
  When I think of the paths steep and stony;
  Where the feet of the dear ones must go; …
  Of the mountains of sin hanging o'er them;
  Of the tempest of fate blowing wild; …
  Oh; there's nothing on earth half so holy
  As the innocent heart of a child!
  They are idols of hearts and of households;
  They are angels of God in disguise;
  His sunlight still sleeps in their tresses;
  His glory still shines in their eyes;
  Those truants from home and from heaven; …
  They have made me more manly and mild;
  And I know now how Jesus could liken
  The kingdom of God to a child。
  I ask not a life for the dear ones;
  All radiant; as others have done;
  But that life may have just enough shadow
  To temper the glare of the sun;
  I would pray God to guard them from evil;
  But my prayer would bound back to myself; …
  Ah! a seraph may pray for a sinner;
  But a sinner must pray for himself。
  The twig is so easily b