When I went to Fairyland

The Visit

When I went to Fairyland, visiting the Queen,
I rode upon a peacock, blue and gold and green;
Silver was the harness, crimson were the reins,
All hung about with silver bells that swung on silken chains.

When I went to Fairyland, indeed you cannot think
What pretty things I had to eat, what pretty things to drink.
And did you know that butterflies could sing like little birds?
And did you guess that fairy-talk is not a bit like words?

When I went to Fairyland - of all the lovely things! -
They really taught me how to fly, they gave me fairy wings;
And every night I listen for a tapping on the pane -
I want so very much to go to Fairyland again.

From The Rose Fyleman Fairy Book

Fairy Song - Dance, Sing, Shine!

Fairy Song

Dance, little friend, little friend breeze,
Low among the hedgerows, high among the trees;
Fairy partners wait for you, oh! do not miss your chance,
Dance, little friend, dance!

Sing, little friend, little friend stream,
Softly through the mossy nooks where fairies lie and dream;
Sweetly by the rushes where fairies sway and swing,
Sing, little friend, sing!

Shine, little friend, little friend moon,
The fairies will have gathered in the forest very soon;
Send your gleaming silver darts where thick the branches twine,
Shine, little friend, shine!

From The Rose Fyleman Fairy Book

No one is frightened in Fairyland

The Fairy Ball

"I am asked to the ball to-night, to-night;
What shall I wear, for I must look right?"
"Search in the fields for a lady's-smock -
Where could you find a prettier frock?"

"I am asked to the ball to-night, to-night;
What shall I do for my jewels bright?"
"Trouble you not for a brooch or a ring,
A daisy-chain is the properest thing."

"I am asked to the ball to-night, to-night;
What shall I do if I shake with fright?"
"When you are there you will understand
That no one is frightened in Fairyland."

From The Rose Fyleman Fairy Book

Rainy Morning

Rainy Morning

As I was walking in the rain
I met a fairy down a lane.
We walked along the road together;
I soon forgot about the weather.
He told me lots of lovely things:
The story that the robin sings,
And where the rabbits go to school,
And how to know a fairy pool,
And what to say and what to do
If bogles ever bother you.

The flowers peeped from hedgy places
And shook the raindrops from their faces,
And furry creatures all the way
Came popping out and said "Good-day."
But when we reached the little bend,
Just where the village houses end,
He seemed to slip into the ground,
And when I looked about I found
The rain was suddenly all over
And the sun shining on the clover.

From The Rose Fyleman Fairy Book

It was not all a dream

A Voyage

They took me out a-sailing -
The boat was made of glass;
We sailed upon the little clouds,
The stars came out in shining crowds
So thick we scarce could pass.
But feather-light through all the night
About the sky we sped;
There were no oars with which to row,
There was no tiniest wind to blow
Through all the sails were spread.

They took me out a-sailing -
We anchored by the moon;
The golden door was open wide,
We saw a garden-ground inside
Where it was light as noon.
And fairy folk looked out and spoke,
"Come in, come in and play!"
We climbed a little silver stair -
It was so beautiful in there
I wished that I might stay.

They took me out a-sailing -
Oh! strange the tales I heard
Of charmed adventures in the skies
Beyond the gaze of human eyes,
Beyond the flight of bird.
The stars went out, I looked about,
I saw the dewdrops gleam
Among the cobwebs on the lawn
As we came home at break of dawn...
It was not all a dream.

From The Rose Fyleman Fairy Book

All sleeping on the clouds

I Stood Against The Window

I stood against the window
And looked between the bars,
And there were strings of fairies
Hanging from the stars;
Everywhere and everywhere
In shining, swinging chains -
The air was full of shimmering,
Like sunlight when it rains.

They kept on swinging, swinging,
They flung themselves so high
They caught upon the pointed moon
And hung across the sky;
And when I woke next morning
There still were crowds and crowds
In beautiful bright bunches
All sleeping on the clouds.

From The Rose Fyleman Fairy Book

The fairies give thanks

The Fairies Give Thanks

To all kind folk who make delightful gardens
Where we may live,
Enjoying days and nights of busy leisure
Amid devices fashioned for our pleasure,
Our thanks we give.

For dancing-lawns and gravelled jousting-places,
For guardian trees,
For ferny thickets strewn with moss-grown mountains
And lily-pools and waterfalls and fountains -
For all of these.

Charged are we also by our little comrades
The gentle birds,
That we their messages of thanks should bring you,
Since they from grateful hearts can only sing you
Songs without words.

From The Rose Fyleman Fairy Book

Christmas Night

Christmas Night

When it's Christmas night,
And the fire's alight,
And I'm lying awake in bed,
I feel quite sure there are fairies
Like the ones in tales I've read.
It's specially on Christmas night,
When nothing feels the same,
That I keep thinking to myself,
"Suppose a fairy came!"

I think there must be fairies
Who hang the stars all out,
And fairies who make the bells ring,
And carry the snow about.
And some of them paint the shadows
That dance up and down the wall -
So nobody need be frikened
Of shadows like that at all!
And one little special fairy
Looks after the ugly things,
And things that are old and broken,
And covers them with her wings.
That's why I've put my dolly -
The one that has lost an eye -
On the mantelshelf, so her fairy
Will see her as she goes by....

When it's Christmas night,
And the fire's alight,
And I'm lying in bed awake,
I keep quite still, and I listen
For the sounds the fairies make.
I've never seen nor heard them yet,
But I believe I might,
If only I could keep awake
All through one Christmas night.

From Marion St John Webb's book The Little One In Between

Fairy days

Sometimes

Some days are fairy days. The minute that you wake
You have a magic feeling that you never could mistake;
You may not see the fairies, but you know that they're about,
And any single minute they might all come popping out.
You want to laugh, you want to sing, you want to dance and run:
Everything is different, everything is fun:
The sky is full of fairy clouds, the streets are fairy ways -
Anything might happen on truly fairy days.

Some nights are fairy nights. Before you go to bed
You hear their darling music go chiming in your head;
You look into the garden, and through the misty grey
You see the trees all waiting in a breathless kind of way.
All the stars are smiling - they know that very soon
The fairies will come singing from the land behind the moon.
If only you could keep awake when Nurse puts out the light, ...
Anything might happen on a truly fairy night.

From The Rose Fyleman Fairy Book

The rain as pretty as the sun

It's been raining A LOT the last couple of weeks. That, along with the shortening days, could be seen as a reason to be miserable... But it's all in your perspective.

It's a chance to cosy up inside, enjoy soft blankets, fluffy duvets, hot drinks and comfort food - and the rain can be pretty! The fairies think so, and so should we ;-)

Fairy Lore

Fairies learn to dance before they learn to walk;
Fairies learn to sing before they learn to talk;
Fairies learn their counting from the cuckoo's call;
They do not learn Geography at all.

Fairies go a-riding with witches on their brooms,
And steal away the rainbows to brighten up their rooms;
Fairies like a sky-dance better than a feast;
They have a birthday once a week at least.

Fairies think the rain as pretty as the sun;
Fairies think that trespass-boards are only made for fun;
Fairies think that peppermint's the  nicest thing they know;
I always take a packet when I go.

From The Rose Fyleman Fairy Book

Fairyland is anywhere, you know

Greengage Jam

When I came back from Fairyland
At five o'clock to-day,
Belinda hadn't noticed that
I'd even been away!
I looked at where Belinda stood,
Belinda looked at me;
And then she gave a yawn and said,
"There's greengage jam for tea."

The way I go to Fairyland
Is up the attic stair,
And through the attic door and round
Some boxes - and it's there!
It's just between the arm-chair and
The clock without a face -
And nobody would guess it was
A really fairy place.

But Mother says that Fairyland
Is anywhere, you know;
You've only got to think it's there -
And there it is. And so
I've thinked that this is Fairyland,
And so it has to be.
But no one knows it's Fairyland,
Excepting only me.

I like to go to Fairyland
And sit and wait - quite still.
Though nothing's ever happened yet,
But some day p'r'aps it will!
It's nice to feel that no one knows
I'm sitting on the floor
And all alone in Fairyland,
Behind the attic door.

Belinda's got no Fairyland,
And if I said I'd been
She'd laugh at me - I know she would;
Belinda is thirteen.
So when I came from Fairyland
At five o'clock, you see,
I only said to her, "I'm glad
There's greengage jam for tea."

From Marion St John Webb's book The Little One In Between

'The Little One In Between' is a sweet old book of poems published in 1929, all written from the perspective of a little girl who is the middle child.

I really like the lines in this poem: "...Fairyland / Is anywhere, you know; / You've only got to think it's there - / And there it is."

It reminds me of the idea of finding pleasure, beauty and peace in the everyday, and within yourself :-)

Fairies in Autumn

You perch upon the leaves where the trees are very high,

And you all shout together as the wind goes by;

The merry mad wind sets the leaves all afloat,

And off you go a-sailing in an airy wee boat.

Your fly to the edges of the grim grey cloud,

And you all start a-dancing and a-singing very loud;

The cloud melts away in a shower of peevish rain

And you slide down from heaven on a slim silver chain.

From The Rose Fyleman Fairy Book

The Rose Fyleman Fairy Book

I came across this battered old book in a local charity shop, and it is utterly charming!

It's full of poems and beautiful colour plates.



And the dedication is very special!