Hallowe'en.

A tale we'll tell of what hath been             When maids and youths kept Hallowe'en,             It is a tale of old world lore             What happened in the days of yore,             When fairies danced upon the green             So merrily on Hallowe'en,             And witches did play many a trick             Assisted by their auld friend Nick,             And lovers meet around the fire             Near to the one their hearts desire,             For to burn nuts for to discover             The truthfulness of their lover.             They first did give each nut a name,             This was Sandy, that was Jane.             If they did blaze side by side,             She knew her husband, he his bride,             But if one up the chimney flew,             One knew the other was not true.             And one sure test did never fail,             Blindfold to find good stock of kale,             To pull the first comes to the hand             With heavy roots of earth and sand,             For the very weight of mould             Does denote weight of lovers gold.             In tubs children love to splatter,             Ducking for apples in the water,             For such were the delights of yore,             Which soon will cease for evermore;             At Balmoral Castle Britain's Queen             Oft' celebrated Hallowe'en,             But Highland landlords now do clear             Land of men to make room for deer,             But here upon Canadian soil             A man may own where he doth toil.