The Maiden And The Weathercock

The Maiden and the Weathercock

Maiden;
O weathercock on the village spire,
With your golden feathers all on fire,
Tell me what can you see from your perch
Above there over the tower of the church?

Weathercock;
I can see the roofs and the streets below,
And the people moving to and fro,
And beyond, without either roof or street
The great salt sea, and the fisherman’s fleet

I can see a ship come sailing in
Beyond the headlands and harbor of Lynn,
And a young man standing on the deck
With a silken kerchief round his neck.

Now he is lifting it to his lips,
And now he is lifting and waving his hand,
And blowing the kisses toward the land.

Maiden;
Ah, that is the ship from over the sea,
That is bringing my lover back to me.
Bringing my lover so fond and true,
Who does not change with the wind like you.

Weathercock;
If I changed with all the winds that blow,
It is only because they made me so.
And people would think it wondrous strange,
If I, a weathercock should not change.

O pretty maiden, so fine and fair,
With your dreamy eyes and your golden hair,
When you and your lover meet today,
You will thank me for looking some other way.

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