A Fairy Song

William Shakespeare 1564 (Stratford-upon-Avon) – 1616 (Stratford-upon-Avon)



Over hill, over dale,
Thorough bush, thorough brier,
Over park, over pale,
Thorough flood, thorough fire!
I do wander everywhere,
Swifter than the moon's sphere;
And I serve the Fairy Queen,
To dew her orbs upon the green;
The cowslips tall her pensioners be;
In their gold coats spots you see;
Those be rubies, fairy favours;
In those freckles live their savours;
I must go seek some dewdrops here,
And hang a pearl in every cowslip's ear.

About this poem

"A Fairy Song" is a short poem by William Shakespeare that describes the speaker's role as a servant to the Fairy Queen. The speaker describes traveling quickly and freely through various landscapes, and their task of putting dew on the green orbs of the fairies. The cowslips are described as the Queen's pensioners, and the freckles on their petals are said to hold the essence of fairy magic. The poem creates a dreamlike and whimsical atmosphere and celebrates the beauty of nature and the enchantment of fairy lore.  

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified by acronimous on February 19, 2023

27 sec read
2,967

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABABCDEEFFGGHH
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 440
Words 90
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 14

William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare was an English playwright, poet, and actor, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's greatest dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon". more…

All William Shakespeare poems | William Shakespeare Books

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    "A Fairy Song" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Mar. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/41359/a-fairy-song>.

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