170
a whisper from fairy land.
And at morning's earliest beam,
Joyed the miller o'er the stream,
Deeming 'twas the summer rain
Thus had filled his pods again.
Where the tidy housewife's care,
Would the early meal prepare—
Hands unseen at midnight drear,
Spread the board with dainty cheer,
Woke the maids at peep of day,
With a fairy roundelay;
And a thousand favors then
Lavishly bestowed on men.
Joyed the miller o'er the stream,
Deeming 'twas the summer rain
Thus had filled his pods again.
Where the tidy housewife's care,
Would the early meal prepare—
Hands unseen at midnight drear,
Spread the board with dainty cheer,
Woke the maids at peep of day,
With a fairy roundelay;
And a thousand favors then
Lavishly bestowed on men.
"Thus we lived—the summer day
Wore all peacefully away,
As we slumbered in the cell
Of the fragrant lily's bell,
'Till the purple twilight fell
Soft on meadow, grove, and dell,
And our queen's attendant train,
Called us to our tasks again.
"All the balmy summer through,
Thus we lived, a merry crew,
Wore all peacefully away,
As we slumbered in the cell
Of the fragrant lily's bell,
'Till the purple twilight fell
Soft on meadow, grove, and dell,
And our queen's attendant train,
Called us to our tasks again.
"All the balmy summer through,
Thus we lived, a merry crew,
