A FAIRY WENT A-MARKETING
1. A fairy went a-marketing—
She bought a little fish;
She put it in a crystal [1] bowl
Upon a golden dish;
An hour she sat in wonderment
And watched its silver gleam,
And then she gently took it up
And slipped it in a stream.
2. A fairy went a-marketing—
She bought a coloured bird;
It sang the sweetest, shrillest song
That ever she had heard;
She sat beside its painted cage
And listened half the day,
And then she opened wide the door
And let it fly away.
3. A fairy went a-marketing—
She bought a winter gown
All stitched about with gossamer [2]
And lined with thistledown;
She wore it all the afternoon
With prancing [3] and delight,
Then gave it to a little frog
To keep him warm at night.
4. A fairy went a-marketing—
She bought a gentle mouse
To take her tiny messages,
To keep her tiny house;
All day she kept its busy feet
Pit-patting to and fro,
And then she kissed its silken ears,
Thanked it, and let it go.
—ROSE FYLEMAN
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[1] crystal: Clear like glass.
[2] gossamer: Something thin and airy like cobwebs.
[3] prancing: Jumping about, leaping.