Fairy Days
Beside the old hall-fire--upon my nurse's knee,Of happy fairy days--what tales were told to me!I thought the world was once--all peopled with princesses,And my heart would beat to hear--their loves and their distresses:And many a quiet night,--in slumber sweet and deep,The pretty fairy people--would visit me in sleep.
I saw them in my dreams--come flying east and west,With wondrous fairy gifts--the newborn babe they bless'd;One has brought a jewel--and one a crown of gold,And one has brought a curse--but she is wrinkled and old.The gentle queen turns pale--to hear those words of sin,But the king he only laughs--and bids the dance begin.
The babe has grown to be--the fairest of the land,And rides the forest green--a hawk upon her hand,An ambling palfrey white--a golden robe and crown:I've seen her in my dreams--riding up and down:And heard the ogre laugh--as she fell into his snare,At the little tender creature--who wept and tore her hair!
But ever when it seemed--her need was at the sorest,A prince in shining mail--comes prancing through the forest,A waving ostrich-plume--a buckler burnished bright;I've seen him in my dreams--good sooth! a gallant knight.His lips are coral red--beneath a dark moustache;See how he waves his hand--and how his blue eyes flash!
"Come forth, thou Paynim knight!"--he shouts in accents clear.The giant and the maid--both tremble his voice to hear.Saint Mary guard him well!--he draws his falchion keen,The giant and the knight--are fighting on the green.I see them in my dreams--his blade gives stroke on stroke,The giant pants and reels--and tumbles like an oak!
With what a blushing grace--he falls upon his kneeAnd takes the lady's hand--and whispers, "You are free!"Ah! happy childish tales--of knight and faërie!I waken from my dreams--but there's ne'er a knight for me;I waken from my dreams--and wish that I could beA child by the old hall-fire--upon my nurse's knee!
Words in this poem
- peopled a.
- Stocked with, or as with, people; inhabited.
- wondrous adv.
- In a wonderful or surprising manner or degree; wonderfully. [OE. wonders, adv. (later also adj.). See Wonder, n., and cf. -wards.]
- babe n.
- An infant; a young child of either sex; a baby. [Cf. Ir. bab, baban, W. baban, maban.]
- palfrey n.
- A saddle horse for the road, or for state occasions, as distinguished from a war horse. [OE. palefrai, OF. palefrei, F. palefroi, LL. palafredus, parafredus, from L. paraveredus a horse for extraordinary occasions, an extra post horse; Gr. veredus a]
- tore n.
- The dead grass that remains on mowing land in winter and spring. Mortimer. [Probably from the root of tear; cf. W. tór a break, cut, tóri to break, cut.]
- sooth a.
- True; faithful; trustworthy. [OE. soth, AS. s, for san; akin to OS. s, OHG. sand, Icel. sannr, Sw. sann, Dan. sand, Skr. sat, sant, real, genuine, present, being; properly p. pr. from a root]
- falchion n.
- A broad-bladed sword, slightly curved, shorter and lighter than the ordinary sword; -- used in the Middle Ages. [OE. fauchon, OF. fauchon, LL. fälcio, fr. L. falx, falcis, a sickle, cf. Gr. falcon; cf. It. falcione. Cf. Defalcation.]
- waken v. i.
- To wake; to cease to sleep; to be awakened. [OE. waknen, AS. wæcnan; akin to Goth. gawaknan. See Wake, v. i.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Fairy Days is in the public domain. This text is taken from Ballads, Project Gutenberg ebook #2732; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: William Makepeace Thackeray, Fairy Days, in Ballads (1849–1855), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #2732, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/thackeray-ballads/fairy-days.html, id L10353.
Form and metre
Fairy Days is 36 lines in 6 stanzas of 6 lines each. The rhyme scheme is AABBCC, complete in 4 of its 6 stanzas. The metre is iambic hexameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 86%). 96% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 12.2 syllables. 3 lines end on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 6% of the lines run on without a stop at the line end.
See other poems in iambic hexameter.
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.
Rhyme words, stanza by stanza
The word that ends each line, lettered by the rhyme it makes; a dash is a line whose rhyme the dictionary could not confirm.
- 1 AA--BB kneeA · meA · princesses · distresses · deepB · sleepB
- 2 AABBCC westA · bless'dA · goldB · oldB · sinC · beginC
- 3 AABBCC landA · handA · crownB · downB · snareC · hairC
- 4 AABBCC sorestA · forestA · brightB · knightB · moustacheC · flashC
- 5 AABBCC clearA · hearA · keenB · greenB · strokeC · oakC
- 6 AA-AAA kneeA · freeA · faërie · meA · beA · kneeA
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 hexameter. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| Beside the old hall-fire--upon my nurse's knee, | 12 | ˘/···/···/˘· |
| Of happy fairy days--what tales were told to me! | 12 | ·/˘/˘······· |
| I thought the world was once--all peopled with princesses, | 12 | ·······/˘·/˘ |
| And my heart would beat to hear--their loves and their distresses: | 14 | ···········˘/˘ |
| And many a quiet night,--in slumber sweet and deep, | 11 | ·/·/··/˘··· |
| The pretty fairy people--would visit me in sleep. | 13 | ·/˘/˘/˘·/˘··· |
| I saw them in my dreams--come flying east and west, | 12 | ·······/˘··· |
| With wondrous fairy gifts--the newborn babe they bless'd; | 12 | ·/˘/˘··/˘··· |
| One has brought a jewel--and one a crown of gold, | 11 | ····/······ |
| And one has brought a curse--but she is wrinkled and old. | 13 | ·········/˘·· |
| The gentle queen turns pale--to hear those words of sin, | 12 | ·/˘········· |
| But the king he only laughs--and bids the dance begin. | 13 | ····/˘·····˘/ |
| The babe has grown to be--the fairest of the land, | 12 | ·······/˘··· |
| And rides the forest green--a hawk upon her hand, | 12 | ···/˘······· |
| An ambling palfrey white--a golden robe and crown: | 12 | ·/˘/˘··/˘··· |
| I've seen her in my dreams--riding up and down: | 11 | ······/˘··· |
| And heard the ogre laugh--as she fell into his snare, | 13 | ···/˘········ |
| At the little tender creature--who wept and tore her hair! | 14 | ··/˘/˘/˘······ |
| But ever when it seemed--her need was at the sorest, | 12 | ·/·········· |
| A prince in shining mail--comes prancing through the forest, | 13 | ···/˘··/˘··/˘ |
| A waving ostrich-plume--a buckler burnished bright; | 12 | ·/˘/˘··/˘/˘· |
| I've seen him in my dreams--good sooth! a gallant knight. | 12 | ·········/˘· |
| His lips are coral red--beneath a dark moustache; | 12 | ···/˘·····/· |
| See how he waves his hand--and how his blue eyes flash! | 12 | ············ |
| "Come forth, thou Paynim knight!"--he shouts in accents clear. | 12 | ···/˘····/˘· |
| The giant and the maid--both tremble his voice to hear. | 13 | ·/˘····/˘···· |
| Saint Mary guard him well!--he draws his falchion keen, | 12 | ·/˘······/˘· |
| The giant and the knight--are fighting on the green. | 12 | ·/˘····/˘··· |
| I see them in my dreams--his blade gives stroke on stroke, | 12 | ············ |
| The giant pants and reels--and tumbles like an oak! | 12 | ·/˘····/˘··· |
| With what a blushing grace--he falls upon his knee | 12 | ···/˘······· |
| And takes the lady's hand--and whispers, "You are free!" | 12 | ···/˘··/˘··· |
| Ah! happy childish tales--of knight and faërie! | 11 | ·/˘/˘······ |
| I waken from my dreams--but there's ne'er a knight for me; | 13 | ·/˘·········· |
| I waken from my dreams--and wish that I could be | 12 | ·/˘········· |
| A child by the old hall-fire--upon my nurse's knee! | 13 | ······/···/˘· |
The reader shows the same poem with its rhymes coloured and a stress row above each line, the notes beside their stanzas, and any word's definition on a tap; the analysis page takes the whole book apart. How every part of this site was made.