Categories
1850s Poem

Fairy Song

By Louisa May Alcott with annotations by Mary Miller

Fairy Song

By Louisa May Alcott
Annotations by Mary Miller
Cover illustration by E. Barnes for the 1898 edition, published by the Henry Altemus Company in Philadelphia. Public Domain.

The moonlight fades from flower and tree,
+And the stars dim one by one;
And the Fairy feast is done.
+The night-wind rocks the sleeping flowers,
The early birds erelong will wake:
+ ’T is time for the Elves to go. [1]

O’er the sleeping earth we silently pass,
+Unseen by mortal eye,
And send sweet dreams, as we lightly float
+Through the quiet moonlit sky;—
For the stars’ soft eyes alone may see,
+ And the flowers alone may know,
The feasts we hold, the tales we tell:
+ So ’t is time for the Elves to go.

From bird, and blossom, and bee,
+ We learn the lessons they teach;
And seek, by kindly deeds, to win
+ A loving friend in each.
And though unseen on earth we dwell,
+ Sweet voices whisper low,
And gentle hearts most joyously greet
+ The Elves where’er they go.

When next we meet in the Fairy dell,
+May the silver moon’s soft light
Shine then on faces gay as now,
+ And Elfin hearts as light.
Now spread each wing, for the eastern sky
+ With sunlight soon will glow.
The morning star shall light us home:
+ Farewell! for the Elves must go.

As the music ceased, with a soft, rustling
sound the Elves spread their shining wings,
and flew silently over the sleeping earth; the
flowers closed their bright eyes, the little winds
were still, for the feast was over, and the Fairy
lessons ended.

+++++++++ THE END.

Alcott, Louisa May. “Fairy Song.” In Flower Fables. Boston: George W. BRiggs & Company, 1855.

[1] Fairies and elves seem to be the same here. There are differences, starting with their physical appearance. Fairies look just like human beings, except they have wings, usually large and gossamer, whereas elves also look like humans but with pointed ears and other features. Learn more at mysticbeast.com, elf: mythology, and “A History of Elves.” See also the references below.

Contexts

As a young girl, Alcott lived across the road from Ralph Waldo Emerson and his family. Alcott dedicated this book to his daughter Ellen with whom she was close, with this inscription:

TO
ELLEN EMERSON,
FOR WHOM THEY WERE FANCIED,
THESE FLOWER FABLES
ARE INSCRIBED,
BY HER FRIEND,

THE AUTHOR.

Boston, Dec. 9, 1854.

Resources for Further Study

  • Biographical information about Louisa May Alcott.
  • In this poem the terms fairy and elves seem to be conflated. Many cultures have a rich history of the lore of little people and there are several sources of their mythological origins, notably The World Guide to Gnomes, Fairies, Elves, and Other Little People by Thomas Keightley, originally published in 1878 by G. Bell, London under the title The Fairy Mythology. This book provides a contemporaneous view of these creatures at the time this poem was written.
  • Elves have been a feature in some of the most popular books in the twentieth century, including J. R. Tolkien’s trilogy Lord of the Rings, and the associated films. Most children in the western world know of Santa’s elves. Elves (Magic, Myth, and Mystery) by Virginia Loh-Hagan is a good source for younger readers, as is Elves, (Creatures of Fantasy) by Joel Newsome.

Contemporary Connections

Elves, fairies, and other fantastical creatures continue to inspire the imagination of young people. There are many films and video games based on elven culture with which many students will be familiar. A popular game is The World of Warcraft series, and a Google search will return a plethora of other choices.

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