The Midsummer Faeries
When the forest lays still,
When dusk falls too soon,
When leaf and limb lay,
Bathed in sil’vry moon
The faerie hour comes,
Silence swiftly ends,
At that stillest moment,
Fair Midsummer’s night,
Fair Midsummer’s night,
Mortals lay in slumber,
Fog clouds all keen sight.
The faerie hour comes,
Silence swiftly ends,
Then twinkling bells and drums,
Bid the stars: descend!
Down they fall and land,
In green canopies,
In green canopies,
And leave the sky above,
To rest in the trees
Faeries spring from hiding,
From rock, field, and dell,
Awestruck at the splendor,
Caught under the spell
Gently they untangle,
Each star from its snare,
Then each faerie claims one,
Boldly as they dare
Then tattered clothes vanish,
Old garments are shed,
Stars become bright raiment,
Stardust crowns each head
Radiantly adorned,
The festival starts,
Music pours from each mouth,
Sweet songs stir each heart
Drum and bells play again,
Fife takes up the call,
Music wends through the trees,
Notes that rise and fall
As one the faeries dance,
Stamping feet a blur,
Hands clap and laughter rings,
All dance to please Her
Suddenly She appears,
Amongst them She walks,
Their sweet and lovely Queen,
Who laughs as She talks
With shining golden hair,
White arms lifted high,
She softly sings and calls,
The moon from the sky
It flutters shyly down,
To the gentle Queen,
For such dazzling beauty,
The moon had n’er seen
With its brightest moonbeams,
It shapes Her a gown,
And weaves silk strands of light,
Into a bright crown
Then She leads them to dance,
And thus clothed in sky’s light,
They keep darkness at bay,
And dance through the night.
