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The bat takes airy rounds on leathern wings,
And the hoarse owl his woful dirges sings;
The prudent maiden deems it now too late,
And till to-morrow comes, defers her fate.

THURSDAY:

OR,

THE SPELL.

120

HOBNELIA.

5

HOBNELIA, seated in a dreary vale,
In pensive mood rehears'd her piteous tale;
Her piteous tale the winds in sighs bemoan,
And pining Echo answers groan for groan:
'I rue the day, a rueful day 1 trow,
The woful day, a day indeed of woe!
When Lubberkin to town his cattle drove,
A maiden fine bedight he hapt to love;
The maiden fine bedight his love retains,
And for the village he forsakes the plains.
Return, my Lubberkin! these ditties hear,
Spells will I try, and spells shall ease my care.
With my sharp heel I three times mark the
ground,

And turn me thrice around, around, around.

10

Ver. 8.] Dight, or bedight, from the Saxon word Dightan, which signifies to set in order.

'When first the year I heard the cuckoo sing, 15 And call with welcome note the budding spring, I straightway set a running with such haste, Deborah that won the smock scarce ran so fast; Till spent for lack of breath, quite weary grown, Upon a rising bank I sat adown,

20

Then doff'd my shoe; and, by my troth, I swear,
Therein I spied this yellow frizzled hair,
As like to Lubberkin's in curl and hue,
As if upon his comely pate it grew.

[ground,

With my sharp heel I three times mark the And turn me thrice around, around, around.

26

30

At eve last midsummer no sleep I sought, But to the field a bag of hempseed brought; I scatter'd round the seed on every side, And three times in a trembling accent cried, "This hempseed with my virgin hand I sow, Who shall my true-love be, the crop shall mow." I straight look'd back, and if my eyes speak truth, With his keen scythe behind me came the youth. With my sharp heel I three times mark the

ground,

And turn me thrice around, around, around.
Last Valentine, the day when birds of kind
Their paramours with mutual chirpings find,
I early rose, just at the break of day,
Before the sun had chas'd the stars away;
A-field I went, amid the morning dew,
To milk my kine (for so should huswives do)
The first I spied, and the first swain we see,
In spite of fortune, shall our true-love be,

36

40

Ver. 21.] Doff, and don, contracted from the words do off, and do on.

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45

See, Lubberkin! each bird his partner take,
And canst thou then thy sweetheart dear forsake?
With my sharp heel I three times mark the
ground,

And turn me thrice around, around, around.
'Last May-day fair I search'd to find a snail
That might my secret lover's name reveal;
Upon a gooseberry-bush a snail I found,
For always snails near sweetest fruit abound.
I seiz❜d the vermin, home I quickly sped,

50

And on the hearth the milk-white embers spread:
Slow crawl'd the snail, and if I right can spell, 55
In the soft ashes mark'd a curious L:

Oh! may this wondrous omen lucky prove;
For L is found in Lubberkin and love.

[ground,

With my sharp heel I three times mark the

And turn me thrice around, around, around.
• Two hazel-nuts I threw into the flame,
And to each nut I gave a sweetheart's name;
This with the loudest bounce me sore amaz'd,
That in a flame of brightest colour blaz❜d:
As blaz'd the nut so may thy passion grow,
For 'twas thy nut that did so brightly glow.

60

65

With my sharp heel I three times mark the ground,

And turn me thrice around, around, around.

'As peasecods once I pluck'd, I chanc'd to see One that was closely fill'd with three times three, Which when I cropp'd, I safely home convey'd, 71 And o'er the door the spell in secret laid;

Ver. 64.]

-εγω 8 επι Δελφιδι δαφναν

Αιθω χ' ως αυτα λακεει μεγα καππυρίσασα,

Theoc.

Ver. 66.] Daphnis me malus urit, ego hanc in Daphnide.

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