IX. The wild winds like a sower sows, And the flapping wings of bats and crows, And the bellowing deer, and the hissing snake, And as the smoke against her drifts, Her speckled face from the fire. For she cannot be hindered from looking back, At the fiery dragon on their track. XII. They hear the crackling grass and sedge, On! on! they are close to the water's edge; And lifting their little ones high o'er the tide, The Pied Piper of Hamelin, Hamelin Town's in Brunswick, By famous Hanover city; The river Weser, deep and wide, Washes its wall on the southern side; Alice Cary A pleasanter spot you never spied; But, when begins my ditty, Almost five hundred years ago, To see the townsfolk suffer so From vermin, was a pity. Rats! They fought the dogs, and killed the cats, And ate the cheeses out of the vats, And licked the soup from the cook's own ladles, Split open the kegs of salted sprats, Made nests inside men's Sunday hats, And even spoiled the women's chats, With shrieking and squeaking At last the people in a body To the Town Hall came flocking: ""T is clear," cried they, "our Mayor's a noddy; What's best to rid us of our vermin! At length the Mayor broke silence; It's easy to bid one rack one's brain, I've scratched it so, and all in vain. O for a trap, a trap, a trap!" Just as he said this, what should hap Makes my heart go pit a pat!" "Come in!" the Mayor cried, looking bigger: Starting up at the Trump of Doom's tone, Had walked this way from his painted tomb stone !" He advanced to the council-table: And, "Please your honors," said he, "I'm able, By means of a secret charm, to draw On creatures that do people harm, The mole, and toad, and newt, and viper; And people call me the Pied Piper," "Yet," said he, "poor piper as I am, In Tartary I freed the Cham Last June from his huge swarms of gnats; I eased in Asia the Nizam Of a monstrous brood of vampyre-bats: Will you give me a thousand guilders ?" "One? fifty thousand !” - was the exclamation Of the astonished Mayor and Corporation. Into the street the Piper stept, Smiling first a little smile, As if he knew what magic slept In his quiet pipe the while; And ere three shrill notes the pipe uttered, And the muttering grew to a grumbling; Brothers, sisters, husbands, wives Followed the piper for their lives. From street to street he piped advancing, You should have heard the Hamelin people And leave in our town not even a trace - when suddenly up the face Of the Piper perked in the market-place, With, "first, if you please, my thousand guilders." "Beside," quoth the Mayor, with a knowing wink, Our business was done at the river brink, We saw with our eyes the vermin sink, The Piper's face fell, and he cried, "No trifling! Folks who put me in a passion May find me pipe to another fashion." Once more he stept into the street; And to his lips again Laid his long pipe of smooth straight cane; And ere he blew three notes, There was a rustling, that seemed like a bustling All the little boys and girls, With rosy cheeks and flaxen curls, And sparkling eyes and teeth like pearls, Tripping and skipping, ran merrily after The wonderful music with shouting and laughter. When lo! as they reached the mountain's side, As if a cavern was suddenly hollowed; And the Piper advanced and the children followed, The door in the mountain side shut fast, There came into many a burgher's pate As the needle's eye takes a camel in! The Mayor sent East, West, North and South And bring the children behind him. |