Cinderella

A lonely child, with toil oertaxed,     Sits Cinderella by the fire;     Her limbs in weariness relaxed,     And in her eyes a sad desire.     But soon a wreath is on her brow;     A bonny prince has claimed her hand;     And shes as proud and happy now     As any lady in the land.     Ah, then to see a fairy bright,     And to have granted what you would,     You only needed to do right,     You only needed to be good.     But this was in the days of old,     When man to wiser folk would bow;     And though you were as good as gold     Youd never see a fairy now.     And yet they must have managed well     If only half the tales are true,     The wondrous tales the writers tell     Of what the fairies used to do.     But now the world has grown so wise     It does without the fairies aid;     And who can find a prince that tries     The shoe upon a beggar maid?     It must have been a better time     When virtue always met its due,     And wicked men who dealt in crime     Were punished by the fairies, too.     But never more theyll come again     To give the good what they desire;     And Cinderellas wait in vain,     And weep beside the kitchen fire.