Moon Fairies

The moon, a circle of gold,     O'er the crowded housetops rolled,     And peeped in an attic, where,     'Mid sordid things and bare,     A sick child lay and gazed     At a road to the far-away,     A road he followed, mazed,     That grew from a moonbeam-ray,     A road of light that led     From the foot of his garret-bed     Out of that room of hate,     Where Poverty slept by his mate,     Sickness out of the street,     Into a wonderland,     Where a voice called, far and sweet,     "Come, follow our Fairy band!"     A purple shadow, sprinkled     With golden star-dust, twinkled     Suddenly into the room     Out of the winter gloom:     And it wore a face to him     Of a dream he'd dreamed: a form     Of Joy, whose face was dim,     Yet bright with a magic charm.     And the shadow seemed to trail,     Sounds that were green and frail:     Dew-dripples; notes that fell     Like drops in a ferny dell;     A whispered lisp and stir,     Like winds among the leaves,     Blent with a cricket-chirr,     And coo of a dove that grieves.     And the Elfin bore on its back     A little faery pack     Of forest scents: of loam     And mossy sounds of foam;     And of its contents breathed     As might a clod of ground     Feeling a bud unsheathed     There in its womb profound.     And the shadow smiled and gazed     At the child; then softly raised     Its arms and seemed to grow     To a tree in the attic low:     And from its glimmering hands     Shook emerald seeds of dreams,     From which grew fairy bands,     Like firefly motes and gleams.     The child had seen them before     In his dreams of Fairy lore:     The Elves, each with a light     To guide his feet a-right,     Out of this world to a world     Where Magic built him towers,     And Fable old, unfurled,     Flags like wonderful flowers.     And the child, who knew this, smiled,     And rose, a different child:     No more he knew of pain,     Or fear of heart and brain.     At Poverty there that slept     He never even glanced,     But into the moon-road stept,     And out of the garret danced.     Out of the earthly gloom,     Out of the sordid room,     Out, on a moonbeam ray!     Now at last to play     There with comrades found!     Children of the moon,     There on faery ground,     Where none would find him soon!