The Laily Worm and the Mackerel of the Sea
"I was bat seven year alld
Fan my mider she did dee,
My father marr{.e}d the ae warst woman
The wardle did ever see.
"For she has made me the lailly worm
That lays att the fitt of the tree,
An o my sister Meassry
The machrel of the sea.
"An every Saterday att noon
The machrl comes to me,
An she takes my layl{.e} head,
An lays it on her knee,
An keames it we a silver kemm,
An washes it in the sea.
"Seven knights ha I slain
Sane I lay att the fitt of the tree;
An ye war na my ain father,
The eight an ye sud be."
"Sing on your song, ye laily worm,
That ye sung to me;"
"I never sung that song
But fatt I wad sing to ye.
"I was but seven year aull
Fan my mider she did dee,
My father marr{.e}d the a warst woman
The wardle did ever see.
"She changed me to the layely worm
That layes att the fitt of the tree,
An my sister Messry
To the makrell of the sea.
"And every Saterday att noon
The machrell comes to me,
An she takes my layly head,
An layes it on her knee,
An kames it weth a siller kame,
An washes it in the sea.
"Seven knights ha I slain
San I lay att the fitt of the tree;
An ye war na my ain father,
The eight ye sud be."
He sent for his lady
As fast as sen cod he:
"Far is my son,
That ye sent fra me,
And my daughter,
Lady Messry?"
"Yer son is att our king's court,
Sarving for meatt an fee,
And yer daughter is att our quin's court,
A mary suit an free."
"Ye lee, ye ill woman,
Sa loud as I hear ye lea,
For my son is the layelly worm
That lays at the fitt of the tree,
An my daughter Messry
The machrell of the sea."
She has tain a silver wan
An gine him stroks three,
And he started up the bravest knight
Your eyes did ever see.
She has tane a small horn
An loud an shill blue she,
An a' the fish came her tell but the proud machrell,
An she stood by the sea:
"Ye shaped me ance an unshemly shape,
And ye's never mare shape me."
He has sent to the wood
For hathorn an fun,
An he has tane that gay lady,
An ther he did her burne.
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on April 22, 2023
- 2:08 min read
- 159 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | aAbC dcec fcacdC GcEc dcxc hAbC dcec fcacdC GcEc acbcee acac bcdcec xcac xchcxc abax |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 2,131 |
Words | 432 |
Stanzas | 15 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 4, 6, 4, 4, 4, 4, 6, 4, 6, 4, 6, 4, 6, 4 |
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"The Laily Worm and the Mackerel of the Sea" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 25 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/3496/the-laily-worm-and-the-mackerel-of-the-sea>.
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