v LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. i^iS^iojajiit^tJn Shelf jLsJEj UNITED STATES OF AMEEICA. The Fairies' Festival. JoH^xxT^m*, ED8TED mr "FRANCIS ELUHQWOOD ^iBOT ILLUSTRATED BY |"RAMCIS GILBERT ATT WO 00 L NO' «t >>v f-3 ■ -'^ v f,-:-^i l. 30ST0N JOSEPH KNIGHT COMPANY 1895 \v^ Copyright, 1894, By Joseph Knight Company BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE. John Witt Randall, the author of this little poem, was born in Boston, November 6, 1813. His father was Dr. John Ran- dall, a graduate of Harvard College in the class of 1802, and one of the most eminent physicians of his time in Boston; and his mother was Elizabeth (Wells) Randall, grand-daughter of Samuel Adams, the illustrious "Father of the Revolution." After receiving his preparatory education at Mr. Green's school in Jamaica Plain and at the Boston Latin School, he entered Harvard College in 1830, and was graduated in the class of 1834. Subsequently he took the degree of Doctor of Medicine at the Harvard Medical School, but never practised his profes- sion. At first, Dr. Randall's tastes were largely in the direction of natural history, especially entomology. His early proficiency in this field was so marked and so widely recognized that he received the appointment of " professor of zoology in the department of invertebrate animals " in the South Sea Explor- ing Expedition, generally known as "Wilkes's Expedition," which sailed from Norfolk, Virginia, on August 18, 1838. But the long delay in the starting of this expedition had exhausted his patience, and he resigned his honorable appointment just before Wilkes set sail. From that time Dr. Randall passed his life in leisure and retirement from the world, devoting himself to the care of the family property and the indulgence of his tastes for literature, especially poetry, and the fine arts. In the course of many years, he accumulated a collection of some twenty thousand etchings and engravings, illustrating the whole history of the art and possessing a priceless value in the eyes of competent judges ; and at his death, in accordance with his wishes, this precious collection and a permanent fund of thirty thousand dollars to provide for its custody and increase were given to Harvard University. In 1856, he published at his own expense, through John P. Jewett, the original publisher of " Uncle Tom's Cabin," a modest volume of poems with the title of " Consolations of Soli- tude." His rooted aversion, however, to what he called "puf- fery," including, perhaps, quite legitimate advertisements under that name, rendered a large sale impossible, and he soon recalled the remnant of the edition for gratuitous distribution. This unconquerable but characteristic repugnance to use of the ordinary means for making his poems known prevented their reaching and pleasing many minds, if the cordial appreciation of a few choice spirits, such as Ralph Waldo Emerson, William vi Cullen Bryant, Richard Henry Dana, Sr., Epes Sargent, Ephraim Peabody, and Edwin P. Whipple, afford any indication of their probable reception by a larger public. In " Memorials of the Class of 1834, of Harvard College, prepared for the Fiftieth Anniversary of their Graduation by Thomas Cushing, at the Request of his Classmates," Dr. Ran- dall wrote : — " As to my literary works, — if I except scientific papers on subjects long ago abandoned, as one on Crustacea in the Trans- actions of the Academy of Natural Sciences, of Philadelphia ; two on Insects in the Transactions of the Boston Society of Natural History; one manuscript volume on the Animals and Plants of Maine, furnished to Dr. Charles T. Jackson to accom- pany his Geological Survey of that State, and lost by him ; Critical Notes on Etchers and Engravers, one volume, and Clas- sification of ditto, one volume, both in manuscript, incomplete and not likely to be completed, together with essays and re- views not likely to be published, — my doings reduce them- selves to six volumes of poetic works, the first of which was issued in 1856 and reviewed shortly after in the North Ameri- can, while the others, nearly or partially completed at the out- break of the civil war, still lie unfinished among the many wrecks of Time, painful to most of us to look back upon, or re- flect themselves on a Future whose skies are yet obscure." These poetical manuscripts, in a state of confusion that vii may yet baffle all attempts to recover much from them, Dr. Randall left to the editor, his younger but most intimate friend for more than forty years, to do with them whatever may prove possible. The present poem on " The Fairies' Festival " is an episode in a larger poem, entitled " Metamorphoses of Long- ing," which it is intended to publish hereafter as a whole, to- gether with a revision of the " Consolations of Solitude " from the author's pencilled corrections, and several later poems not included in that early volume. How much more can be done with the almost impracticable manuscripts remains to be seen; but the works already indicated are sufficient, in the editor's hope and belief, to establish for John Witt Randall, who was himself utterly indifferent to fame, a long delayed but honorable and permanent position among American poets. Dr. Randall was never married, and died on January 25, 1892, at the age of seventy-eight years. The Editor. viii List of Illustrations. LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Title Page First Fairy- Second Fairy Third Fairy Fourth Fairy Fifth Fairy Sixth Fairy Seventh Fairy Eighth Fairy Ninth Fairy Tenth Fairy " Let the acorn goblet swim " " But fly to rest on greenwood boughs " " Quick ! the sable cloud-cloth throw " . " While the merry round we make " " Look, where the moon her way doth wedge " Now in lengthening line once more " . " Lift her to yon oaken bough " " Hail, flower of all our Fairy forces ! " . First Complainant ..... PAGE i 2 2 3 3 4 4 5 5 6 9 12 13 17 19 21 23 27 31 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. Second Complainant Third Complainant Fourth Complainant Fifth Complainant . " So swear we all " . " Set us each night beside the door" " Suck their eggs " . " When the goody 'gins to doze " . " Melt in the mists of morn, and ride in " And to flask and flagon crawl " . " Our merry chant of gratitude " " A priest half drunk, his cowl aslouch " u I've picked his corkscrew up ! " . " Fly to the dance once more " " Born to dwell with birds and flowers " " For his own Bible doth confess " . " I love a jovial life and free" " Come, every knight ! Come, every Fay ! " Whirl with the winds away ! " wreaths away" PAGE 34 34 35 36 39 4i 43 44 47 49 53 57 60 67 73 81 82 91 96 xi c^ THE POET DREAMS, AND HEARS FAIRIES SINGING IN THE DISTANCE.) FIRST FAIRY. Awhile, fair moon, delay, And kindly heed our longing; We dress the woods for May, Our hosts are through them thronging. SECOND FAIRY. For us the night shall glow O'er grove and fount and fill; The little Dwarfs, also, Shall join us from the hill. THIRD FAIRY. The cataract shall fall free, Nor toil to grind the grain; No axe shall touch the tree, No plough shall fret the plain. I ' J FOURTH FAIRY. And let no mortal eye Behold our rare delight, No mortal step draw nigh: To us belongs the night. \ r FIFTH FAIRY. No man be near to boast His vain and selfish creed, For Nature's countless host Takes of his power small heed. SIXTH FAIRY. *'Tis she that doth award Each creature's field and house, And views with like regard The mountain and the mouse. SEVENTH FAIRY. Glad in the bright moon's beam We laugh at mortal strife ; - Our duty is to dream, And health our aim of life. EIGHTH FAIRY. So let men boast their souls ! God only knows his heirs : He that the world controls Can give the Fairies theirs. NINTH FAIRY. Till then be it ours to enjoy, To dance by the firefly's lamp ; No prayer our feast alloy, No priest our spirits damp. TENTH FAIRY. Awake, ye deities of old, Ye that have slept so long in mould ; Gather from fountain, field, and plain Your ancient worshippers again. (the dreamer half wakes.) Hark! 'Midst the falling dew I hear the Elfin crew ! Like rustling leaves they gently wail, Singing together in the dale, As when of old upon the green They met to dance around their queen. And now 'tis sounding far and faint, A sweet and melancholy plaint ; Now like a rising breeze it swells, Now vibrates like those tiny bells That some curious Swiss hath hid Underneath a snuff-box lid, Whose notes fly off from tinkling steel Like raindrops from a water-wheel ; And now a distant fall it seems, Whose murmurings lull to sleep and dreams. FIRST FAIRY. Come, sisters all, come dressed in white, We hold our annual feast to-night. The meadow smokes with silvery haze, The fireflies all are in a blaze : Let us dance where daisies grow, Till the morning cock shall crow, And with shrilly discord scare All of us to empty air ! Where the nodding foxglove stands, Pluck the flowers and deck your hands ; Moth-wing each and lily bring, One for fan and one to ring. Fill with milk the pitchers, fill From the blue cow on the hill That a month on dew hath fed, Where the springy slopes outspread, All with green moss carpeted. Let the acorn goblet swim, Filled with fresh wine to the brim, Stolen from the shopman's stall While his clerk was at the ball. Reindeer moss will make good cheer, Spruce leaves fresh will brew our beer, While cresses sweet and cranberries sound In the meadows can be found. When the midnight hour is past And our tired feet fly less fast, By the glow-worm's light we'll feast Till the dawn hath streaked the east. When the sky-lark doth awake In the woodside o'er the lake, And the mill-wheel 'gins to wail Where the brook falls down the dale, We no longer must carouse, But fly to rest on greenwood boughs. ii rtMdM ^ cp^i •;■%. SECOND FAIRY. But, if mortal foot should tread Where our tables are outspread, Let the watch-guard whistle thrice, And at the third blast in a trice, 12 Fast as fire sparks swiftly shot From the blacksmith's anvil hot, Quick ! the sable cloud-cloth throw O'er the feast and round the foe, Till, in inky darkness blind, Ne'er a footpath can he find. Vanish into air, or hie Upon moonbeams to the sky ; There in fleecy clouds remain 13 Till in dews ye drop again ; Or, descending with the showers That refresh the field and flowers, Melt with spirits light and gay In the mists of heaven away, Or sink in raindrops to the ground. Come, now for another round ! THIRD FAIRY. Lo, our goddess, waked from sleep, Mounts above the glowing deep ! Up the heavens behold her sail In a silver-fringed veil, Casting adown her anchor bright Into a sea of crystal light ; Till, fading in the twilight gray, She floats in silvery mists away, Or with the grim approach of morn 14 Gazes on a world forlorn, While the blithe Fairies, hand in hand, Unbroken yet their cheerful band, Still half in doubt uncertain stand, Till, lost at last when o'er the wave She sinks within her ocean grave, The Fairies doubt no more, but fly As the last moonbeam leaves the sky. FOURTH FAIRY. Swing the harebell, sound the chime, Tripping lightly to the time, While the leaves on every tree Rustle all in harmony. Louder yet, mount, merry choirs ! Perch on twigs and grassy spires, Make each leaf and grass-blade quake. While the merry round we make. i5 (< Monday — Tuesday — Wednesday" — hark ! Something's whirring through the dark; A bat is out to chase a moth, Just from her cocoon crept forth. " Thursday — Friday — Saturday" — hold ! None of us must be so bold As the next word to sing or say : Time hath no future for the Fay ! Fly we to pleasure, not to thought — Our world is now, the next is nought. O woe, woe, woe ! No souls have we — The fields of Heaven we must not see, And, when our thoughtless lives are o'er, We sleep in death to wake no more. FIFTH FAIRY. Look, where the moon her way doth wedge Through yon gray cloud's glittering edge ! 16 She struggles hard — now : v lift your eyes — She's out, and through the starry skies Swims cheerily, and now she gleams On us with a hundred beams. 19 SIXTH FAIRY. Methinks the wind begins to rise ; How fast each flickering shadow flies, Wheeling like us in many a maze ! Up, up again, up, sister Fays ! The days are long, and night is fleet. Swiftly trip with tinkling feet ; Now one by one, now two by two, Clear the grass, but spare the dew ; Now three by three, now four by four, Swift as a cataract we pour ; Now in lengthening line once more, Now five, six, seven, in wreathed chain, Whirl like wheels, and whirl again ; While the boughs and leaves around Dance in shadows on the ground, Leap from shade to shade — be fleet — Who touches light shall wet her feet. "Monday — Tuesday — Wednesday" hist! 20 Something's whirring through the mist ; The owl's on wing to seize a mouse That peeps from yon deserted house. " Thursday — Friday — Saturday" — cease ! Shun the name that breaks our peace. No souls have we — woe ne'er forgot ! Who knows if we have souls or not? Alas, I fear we have our day, Then like the flowers must fade away. 1 "*S 21 SEVENTH FAIRY. Moon and stars are glowing bright, All the world is ours to-night ; Be we beauteous while we may ! Short the night and long the day, And dawn shall send us all to bed With pallid cheeks and eyelids red. ALL THE FAIRIES IN CHORUS. Here our Queen comes ! Crown her brow, Lift her to yon oaken bough : On every twig, from every leaf, Hail with songs your Fairy Chief ! Let the bands with might and main Pipe through straws the reedy strain ! Hark! I hear the hunter's horn Sounding from yon field of corn, Whence our huntsmen to the ring In long array come galloping, 22 In kirtles green and caps of red, And some with crystals helmeted, That flash their light in dazzling rays And crown each warrior with a blaze. Hail, flower of all our Fairy forces ! Mounted all on milk-white horses, With milk-white tails that stream behind Shining and fluttering in the wind, Like a river o'er a rock Beat to white foam by the shock, Climbing now the steep hillside, In what a merry troop ye ride ! And the music jangling swells From a thousand silver bells, While through the whistles in their manes The air breathes in delicious strains. 25 QUEEN. Welcome, knights from near and far, Whencesoe'er ye gathered are ! See, o'er all our magic ground Every bush with Fays is crowned, To every bough and twig we cling, The trees with us are blossoming ! Sip our dew and share our cheer ; None but friends are gathered here ; No evil beast, no bird of night, Shall come hither to affright ; Gladly will you guard your Queen With bulrush sharp and flag-blade keen If too curious maid or man Seek our secret rites to scan, Wandering hither from the hill, Warn them thrice by whistles shrill: Light the bog-lamps where they tread, Trembling, o'er the marshy bed, — 26 Where the swamp-holes, scattered round, Feign resemblance to a mound, And Will-o'-wisp in sportive play Tempts them from their path astray, — Where the greenest of all grass Scantly hides the deep morass, And the gold-thread, grouped in bowers, Cheats the eye with seeming flowers. Now let us hold our annual court ; Let words be few and stories short. Speak — and, if mortal man or maid Hath made any Fay afraid In the villages about, Whether in the house or out, Clipping wings or in the street Setting traps to catch their feet, Placing food on hearth or floor With rat-poison smeared o'er, Or pricking melons for their ill 29 With emetic, draught, or pill, Or making window-sash with springs Prone to fall and crush their wings, When they climb for trifling cheer To sip a drop of milk or beer, Now tell the wrong, that there be sent On their heads just punishment. Now swear ye all ! FAIRIES IN CHORUS. So swear we all, Dire vengeance on their heads shall fall ! But nay — a moment wait — not yet, Or the chief boon we shall forget ! Therefore, we first of all demand That all their priests, in solid band, Shall of their gods a blessing pray On the whole race of Dwarf and Fay And furnish souls for all our Elves — Just such as those they wear themselves! 30 QUEEN. The claim is just, and here I stand Sworn to amend our late demand. Now swear again, swear all ! FAIRIES IN CHORUS. We swear, Such shall the Fairies' friendship share ! QUEEN. Now speak, if any have a grief, And, if we can, we'll give relief. FIRST COMPLAINANT. I asked the old maids at Donald's Head To give me a small piece of bread ; They caught me up, and stuck my shin Into the dough and baked me in. 33 4t^- SECOND COMPLAINANT. Me to a spider's web they tied Was woven on the window side ; Within the web a hornet hung, And, while I struggled, I was stung. THIRD COMPLAINANT. A goody promised me an egg, If I would only seven pence beg To buy a plaster for her leg, And, when I brought all I could get, A rotten one for me she set, And, while I tried to break the shell, It burst and blew me down the well. 34 FOURTH COMPLAINANT. 'Twas but next day her bad good-man Caught me, too, at the dairy pan. "What dost thou there? " says he. Says I : "Good Sir, I hungry am and dry." Then from the meat pot he drew forth A bowl full of hot mutton broth, And put me in. The broth grew cool, And held me like a frozen pool. He set us both upon a shelf, And said : " Now drink thy fill, poor Elf ! " There through the long night did I flout, Till the kind mice could eat me out. •eft 35 FIFTH COMPLAINANT. A beldam took me for a rat, And straightway threw me to the cat. The cat, being old, had lost her spirit, Which I did even through youth inherit ; So up I stood and stroked her fur, When presently she began to purr, And licked my hands, and we were friends. Cold mutton broth had made amends For all disgust ; she licked me clean, All sweet and savory to be seen, And fit to stand before my Queen. *te