Poems of Madison Cawein Vol. 4 — The Water-Fairy

THE WATER-FAIRY

Stars above her, stars beneath, White she rose, as white as death, Where the waters glassed the splendor Of a thousand thousand stars, Twinkling where the lilies slender Rocked above the ripple-bars.

Slow she oared a shining shoulder To a blossom-crested boulder.

With slim fingers, long and milky, From the wave and water-lilies, Up the rock she drew her silky Beauty, wild as any rill is Flashing from a hilly height.

Sitting, dripping in the night, Sweet she sang unto the lilies, Sang unto the listening lilies, Till arose the wool-white moon In the silken hush of heaven;

Then she wreathed her brow with seven Lily-buds, all sweet with June;

Belted, wreathed with lilies seven, Then again upon the boulder, Dark locks on a milk-white shoulder, Wild she sang; a wilder ditty To the wool-white moon;

To the lilies and the moon: Beautiful and without pity, Sang, and sang an elfin tune;

Till a youth, who wandered far, Saw her sitting like a star;

Heard her singing to the moon;

Found her sitting, starry white, On the flower-crested boulder, Dark locks on a milky shoulder, In the low moon's lilied light, 'Neath the wool-white moon....

And the creature wrapped her hair Round his white throat, sitting there Singing, smiled into his eyes, While she wrapped her raven hair Slowly round his throat; and then Laughed and whispered to the skies, Kissed him once and then again;

Smiled; and left him stark and strangled In the water-lilies tangled, Staring up, with open eyes, At the moon with open eyes.