Peacock Pie, A Book of Rhymes | Page 7

hidden
A good thumb deep,
Half way over
From Wicking to Weep.
OFF THE GROUND

Three jolly Farmers
Once bet a pound
Each dance the others would

Off the ground.
Out of their coats
They slipped right soon,
And
neat and nicesome,
Put each his shoon.
One - Two - Three! -
And
away they go,
Not too fast,
And not too slow;
Out from the
elm-tree's
Noonday shadow,
Into the sun
And across the meadow.

Past the schoolroom,
With knees well bent
Fingers a-flicking,

They dancing went.
Up sides and over,
And round and round,

They crossed click-clacking,
The Parish bound,
By Tupman's
meadow
They did their mile,
Tee-t-tum
On a three-barred stile.

Then straight through Whipham,
Downhill to Week,
Footing it
lightsome,
But not too quick,
Up fields to Watchet,
And on
through Wye,
Till seven fine churches
They'd seen skip by -

Seven fine churches,
And five old mills,
Farms in the valley,
And
sheep on the hills;
Old Man's Acre
And Dead Man's Pool
All left
behind,
As they danced through Wool.
And Wool gone by,
Like
tops that seem

To spin in sleep
They danced in dream;
Withy -
Wellover -
Wassop-WoLike
an old clock
Their heels did go.
A
league and a league
And a league they went,
And not one weary,

And not one spent.
And Io, and behold!
Past Willow-cum-Leigh

Stretched with its waters
The great green sea.
Says Farmer Bates,

I puffs and I blows,
What's under the water,
Why, no man knows!'

Says Farmer Giles,
'My wind comes weak,
And a good man
drownded
Is far to seek.'
But Farmer Turvey,
On twirling toes

Up's with his gaiters,
And in he goes:
Down where the mermaids

Pluck and play
On their twangling harps
In a sea-green day;

Down where the mermaids,
Finned and fair,
Sleek with their combs

Their yellow hair....
Bates and GilesOn
the shingle sat,
Gazing
at Turvey's
Floating hat.
But never a ripple
Nor bubble told

Where he was supping
Off plates of gold.
Never an echo
Rilled
through the sea
Of the feasting and dancing
And minstrelsy.
They
called-called-called:
Came no reply:

Nought but the ripples'

Sandy sigh.
Then glum and silent
They sat instead,
Vacantly
brooding
On home and bed,
Till both together
Stood up and said.-


'Us knows not, dreams not,
Where you be,
Turvey, unless
In
the deep blue sea;
But axcusing silverAnd
it comes most willing -

Here's us two paying
Our forty shilling;
For it's sartin sure,
Turvey,
Safe and sound,
You danced us square, Turvey,
Off the
ground!'
THE THIEF AT ROBIN'S CASTLE
There came a Thief one night to Robin's Castle,
He climbed up into a
Tree;
And sitting with his head among the branches,
A wondrous
Sight did see.
For there was Robin supping at his table,
With Candles of pure Wax,

His Dame and his two beauteous little Children,
With Velvet on
their backs.
Platters for each there were shin-shining,
Of Silver many a pound,

And all of beaten Gold, three brimming Goblets,
Standing the table
round.
The smell that rose up richly from the Baked Meats
Came thinning
amid the boughs,
And much that greedy Thief who snuffed the night
airHis
Hunger did arouse.
He watched them eating, drinking, laughing, talking,
Busy with
finger and spoon,
While three most cunning Fiddlers, clad in crimson,

Played them a supper-tune.
And he waited in the tree-top like a Starling,
Till the Moon was
gotten low;
When all the windows in the walls were darkened,
He
softly in did go.
There Robin and his Dame in bed were sleeping,
And his Children
young and fair;
Only Robin's Hounds from their warm kennels

Yelped as he climbed the stair.

All, all were sleeping, page and fiddler,
Cook, scullion, free from care;

Only Robin's Stallions from their stables
Neighed as he climbed
the stair.
A wee wan light the Moon did shed him,
Hanging above the sea,

And he counted into his bag (of beaten Silver)
Platters thirty-three.
Of Spoons three score; of jolly golden Goblets
He stowed in four
save one,
And six fine three-branched Cupid Candlesticks,
Before
his work was done.
Nine bulging bags of Money in a cupboard,
Two Snuffers, and a Dish

He found, the last all studded with great Garnets
And shapen like a
Fish.
Then tiptoe up he stole into a Chamber,
Where on Tasselled Pillows
lay
Robin and his Daule in dreaming slumbers
Tired with the
summer's day.
That Thief he mimbled round him in the gloaming,
Their treasure for
to spy,
Combs, Brooches, Chains, and, Rings, and Pins and Buckles

All higgledy, Piggle-dy.
A Watch shaped in the shape of a flat Apple
In purest crystal set
He
lifted from the hook where it was ticking
And crammed in his
Pochette.
He heaped the pretty Baubles on the table,
Trinketsi Knick-knackerie,

Pearls, Diamonds, Sapphires, Topazes, and OpalsAll
in his bag put
he.
And there in night's pale Gloom was Robin dreaming
He was hunting
the mountain Bear,
While his Dame in peaceful slumber in no wise
heeded
A greedy Thief was there.
And that ravenous Thief he climbed up even higher,
Till into a

chamber small
He crept where lay poor Robin's beauteous Children,

Lovelier in sleep withal.
Oh, fairer was their Hair than Gold of Goblet,
'Yond Silver their
Cheeks did shine,
And their little hands that lay upon the linen

Made that Thief's hard heart to pine.
But though a moment there his hard heart faltered,
Eftsoones be took
them twain,
And slipped them into his Bag with all his Plunder,

And soft stole down again.
Spoon, Platter, Goblet, Ducats, Dishes, Trinkets,
And those two
Children dear,
A-quaking in the clinking and the clanking,
And half
bemused with fear,
He carried down the stairs into the Courtyard,
But there he made no
stay,
He just tied up his Garters, took