But at the earliest crow of cock Back to the sky the fairies flock, And at their doors they stand and knock (The air is keen and chill)— They do not wait to see the sun; Straight to their little beds they run; The stars are darkened one by one And all the sky is still. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ THE FAIRY LOVER You walk in your orchard, you sit in your bower Mid plentiful treasure of fruit and of flower; But you shall have pleasaunces brighter than these, With magical blossoms and magical trees. Your train is of damask, rich fold upon fold, Your gown is of crimson, your shoes are of gold; But a mantle of rainbows shall wrap you about, Besprinkled with star-dust within and without. Your ladies-in-waiting are gracious and fair And a little page stands by the side of your chair; But an army of goblins shall do your behest And fly at your bidding to East and to West. You shall sit on a cushion of velvety moss, Embroidered with sunbeams across and across, And a grasshopper chorus shall make you good cheer Or charm you with delicate lullabies, dear. I will tap at your window some moon-silvered night, And when you lean down through the jessamine white My fairy-swift wings I shall softly unfurl And bear you away to my palace of pearl. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ THE FAIRY TAILOR Sitting on the flower-bed beneath the hollyhocks I spied the tiny tailor who makes the fairies’ frocks; There he sat a-stitching all the afternoon And sang a little ditty to a quaint wee tune: “Grey for the goblins, blue for the elves, Brown for the little gnomes that live by themselves, White for the pixies that dance upon the green— But where shall I find me a robe for the Queen?” All about the garden his little men he sent, Up and down and in and out unceasingly they went. Here they stole a blossom, there they pulled a leaf, And bound them up with gossamer into a glowing sheaf. Petals of the pansy for little velvet shoon, Silk of the poppy for a dance beneath the moon, Lawn of the jessamine, damask of the rose, To make their pretty kirtles and airy furbelows.