Mider's Call to Fairy-Land
O Befind, wilt thou come with me,To the wondrous land of melody?The crown of their head like the primrose hair,Their bodies below as the colour of snow.
There in that land is no "mine" or "thine,"White the teeth there, eyebrows black,Brilliant the eyes--great is the host--And each cheek the hue of the foxglove.
How heady soever the ale of Inis FálMore intoxicating is the ale of the Great Land;A marvel among lands the land of which I speak,No young man there enters on old age.
Like the purple of the plains each neck,Like the ousel's egg the colour of the eye;Though fair to the sight are the Plains of FálThey are a desert to him who has known the Great Plain.
Warm, sweet streams across the country,Choice of mead and wine,Distinguished beings who know no stain,Conception without sin, without lust.
We behold everyone on every side,And none beholds us;The gloom of Adam's transgression it isConceals us from their reckoning.
O Woman, if thou come among my strong people,A golden top will crown thy head;Fresh swine-flesh, new milk and ale for drinkThou shalt have with me, O woman fair!
Words in this poem
- wondrous adv.
- In a wonderful or surprising manner or degree; wonderfully. [OE. wonders, adv. (later also adj.). See Wonder, n., and cf. -wards.]
- heady a.
- Willful; rash; precipitate; hurried on by will or passion; ungovernable. [From Head.]
- lust v. i.
- To list; to like. [AS. lystan. See Lust, n., and cf. List to choose.]
- everyone n.
- Everybody; -- commonly separated, every one. [OE. everychon.]
- shalt
- 2d per. sing. of Shall.
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Mider's Call to Fairy-Land is in the public domain. This text is taken from The Poem-Book of the Gael Translations from Irish Gaelic Poetry into English Prose and Verse, Project Gutenberg ebook #46917; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Eleanor Hull, Mider's Call to Fairy-Land, in The Poem-Book of the Gael (1912), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #46917, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/hull-gael/mider-s-call-to-fairy-land.html, id L11672.
Form and metre
Mider's Call to Fairy-Land is 28 lines in 7 verse paragraphs. It is unrhymed, as far as the pronouncing dictionary can tell. The metre is iambic pentameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 80%). 93% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 9.4 syllables. 4 lines end on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 14% of the lines run on without a stop at the line end.
See other poems in iambic pentameter, other poems in blank verse.
Measured by Laurel's pipeline, not copied from a handbook: how stress and metre are counted, how rhyme is lettered, how a drifted rhyme is found. Where the dictionary cannot confirm a rhyme the letter is withheld, not guessed.
Scansion, line by line
Each line with its syllable count and the stresses the words themselves fix: / stressed, ˘ unstressed, · a syllable the word leaves free and the metre decides. Read against iambic pentameter. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| O Befind, wilt thou come with me, | 8 | ········ |
| To the wondrous land of melody? | 9 | ··/˘··/˘˘ |
| The crown of their head like the primrose hair, | 10 | ·······/·· |
| Their bodies below as the colour of snow. | 11 | ·/˘····/˘·· |
| There in that land is no "mine" or "thine," | 9 | ········· |
| White the teeth there, eyebrows black, | 7 | ····/·· |
| Brilliant the eyes--great is the host-- | 8 | /˘······ |
| And each cheek the hue of the foxglove. | 9 | ·······/· |
| How heady soever the ale of Inis Fál | 12 | ·/˘˘/˘······ |
| More intoxicating is the ale of the Great Land; | 13 | ·˘/˘·˘······· |
| A marvel among lands the land of which I speak, | 12 | ·/˘········· |
| No young man there enters on old age. | 9 | ····/˘··· |
| Like the purple of the plains each neck, | 9 | ··/˘····· |
| Like the ousel's egg the colour of the eye; | 11 | ······/˘··· |
| Though fair to the sight are the Plains of Fál | 10 | ·········· |
| They are a desert to him who has known the Great Plain. | 13 | ···/˘········ |
| Warm, sweet streams across the country, | 8 | ···˘/·/˘ |
| Choice of mead and wine, | 5 | ····· |
| Distinguished beings who know no stain, | 9 | ˘/˘/˘···· |
| Conception without sin, without lust. | 9 | ˘/˘······ |
| We behold everyone on every side, | 10 | ·˘//˘··/˘· |
| And none beholds us; | 5 | ··˘/· |
| The gloom of Adam's transgression it is | 10 | ···/˘˘/˘·· |
| Conceals us from their reckoning. | 8 | ˘/···/˘˘ |
| O Woman, if thou come among my strong people, | 12 | ·/˘·······/˘ |
| A golden top will crown thy head; | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| Fresh swine-flesh, new milk and ale for drink | 9 | ········· |
| Thou shalt have with me, O woman fair! | 9 | ······/˘· |
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