The Laily Worm and the Mackerel of the Sea



"I was bat seven year alld
      Fan my mider she did dee,
    My father marr{.e}d the ae warst woman
      The wardle did ever see.

    "For she has made me the lailly worm
      That lays att the fitt of the tree,
    An o my sister Meassry
      The machrel of the sea.

    "An every Saterday att noon
    The machrl comes to me,
  An she takes my layl{.e} head,
    An lays it on her knee,
  An keames it we a silver kemm,
    An washes it in the sea.

    "Seven knights ha I slain
    Sane I lay att the fitt of the tree;
  An ye war na my ain father,
    The eight an ye sud be."

  "Sing on your song, ye laily worm,
    That ye sung to me;"
  "I never sung that song
    But fatt I wad sing to ye.

    "I was but seven year aull
    Fan my mider she did dee,
  My father marr{.e}d the a warst woman
    The wardle did ever see.

    "She changed me to the layely worm
    That layes att the fitt of the tree,
  An my sister Messry
    To the makrell of the sea.

    "And every Saterday att noon
    The machrell comes to me,
  An she takes my layly head,
    An layes it on her knee,
  An kames it weth a siller kame,
    An washes it in the sea.

    "Seven knights ha I slain
    San I lay att the fitt of the tree;
  An ye war na my ain father,
    The eight ye sud be."

    He sent for his lady
    As fast as sen cod he:
  "Far is my son,
    That ye sent fra me,
  And my daughter,
    Lady Messry?"

    "Yer son is att our king's court,
    Sarving for meatt an fee,
  And yer daughter is att our quin's court,
    A mary suit an free."

    "Ye lee, ye ill woman,
    Sa loud as I hear ye lea,
  For my son is the layelly worm
    That lays at the fitt of the tree,
  An my daughter Messry
    The machrell of the sea."

    She has tain a silver wan
    An gine him stroks three,
  And he started up the bravest knight
    Your eyes did ever see.

    She has tane a small horn
    An loud an shill blue she,
  An a' the fish came her tell but the proud machrell,
    An she stood by the sea:
  "Ye shaped me ance an unshemly shape,
    And ye's never mare shape me."

    He has sent to the wood
    For hathorn an fun,
  An he has tane that gay lady,
    An ther he did her burne.

Font size:
Collection  PDF     
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 22, 2023

2:08 min read
159

Quick analysis:

Scheme aAbC dcec fcacdC GcEc dcxc hAbC dcec fcacdC GcEc acbcee acac bcdcec xcac xchcxc abax
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 2,131
Words 432
Stanzas 15
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 6, 4, 4, 4, 4, 6, 4, 6, 4, 6, 4, 6, 4

Discuss the poem The Laily Worm and the Mackerel of the Sea with the community...

0 Comments

    Translation

    Find a translation for this poem in other languages:

    Select another language:

    • - Select -
    • 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
    • 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
    • Español (Spanish)
    • Esperanto (Esperanto)
    • 日本語 (Japanese)
    • Português (Portuguese)
    • Deutsch (German)
    • العربية (Arabic)
    • Français (French)
    • Русский (Russian)
    • ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
    • 한국어 (Korean)
    • עברית (Hebrew)
    • Gaeilge (Irish)
    • Українська (Ukrainian)
    • اردو (Urdu)
    • Magyar (Hungarian)
    • मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
    • Indonesia (Indonesian)
    • Italiano (Italian)
    • தமிழ் (Tamil)
    • Türkçe (Turkish)
    • తెలుగు (Telugu)
    • ภาษาไทย (Thai)
    • Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
    • Čeština (Czech)
    • Polski (Polish)
    • Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
    • Românește (Romanian)
    • Nederlands (Dutch)
    • Ελληνικά (Greek)
    • Latinum (Latin)
    • Svenska (Swedish)
    • Dansk (Danish)
    • Suomi (Finnish)
    • فارسی (Persian)
    • ייִדיש (Yiddish)
    • հայերեն (Armenian)
    • Norsk (Norwegian)
    • English (English)

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this poem to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "The Laily Worm and the Mackerel of the Sea" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 25 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/3496/the-laily-worm-and-the-mackerel-of-the-sea>.

    Become a member!

    Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

    April 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    5
    days
    14
    hours
    13
    minutes

    Special Program

    Earn Rewards!

    Unlock exciting rewards such as a free mug and free contest pass by commenting on fellow members' poems today!

    Browse Poetry.com

    Quiz

    Are you a poetry master?

    »
    The long poem “The Waste Land” was written by which poet?
    A T. S. Eliot
    B W. H. Auden
    C C. S Lewis
    D Emma Lazarus