In a field by Cahirconlish I stood on sleeping grass, No cry I made to Heaven From my dumb lips would pass. Three days, three nights I slumbered, And till I woke again Those I have loved have sought me, And sorrowed all in vain. My neighbours still upbraid me, And murmur as I pass, “There goes a man enchanted. He trod on Fairy grass.” My little ones around me, They claim my old caress, I push them roughly from me With hands that cannot bless. My wife upon my shoulder A bitter tear lets fall, I turn away in anger And love her not at all. For like a man surrounded. In some sun-haunted lane. By countless wings that follow, A grey and stinging chain, Around my head for ever I hear small voices speak In tongues I cannot follow, I know not what they seek. I raise my hands to find them When autumn winds go by, And see between my fingers A broken summer fly. I raise my hands to hold them When winter days are near, And clasp a falling snowflake That breaks into a tear. And ever follows laughter That echoes through my heart. From some delights forgotten Where once I had a part What love comes, half-remembered. In half-forgotten bliss? Who lay upon my bosom, And had no human kiss? Where is the land I loved in? What music did I sing That left my ears enchanted Inside the Fairy ring? I see my neighbours shudder, And whisper as I pass: “Three nights the Fairies stole him; He trod on sleeping grass.” Art by Arthur Rackham
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