The Golden Wreaths
A king put up his one son's hand
An heir his son might get
An' noble maidens from all lands
Sought to be bride an' yet-
The prince to them ne'er spoke a word
His heart was far away
With a secret love of whom he'd heard
Nothing for many days
He did not wish to marry
These noble ladies so
Devised a scheme to tarry
Without that they should know
"If ye be true then bring to me
Three golden-woven wreaths
An' they shall be your dowry
These splendid precious leaves."
Each princess offered him a crown
Wrought be the finest smiths
But there was none among them found
Could make a wreath as this
An' as the last princess despaired
An' cursed the prince's test
A fair new lady there appeared
Surpassing all the rest
"O prince," said she, "Forgive me
For being here the last
But I have brought thy wreaths to thee
An' now thy hand I'll ask."
The prince's heart then lifted
An' he did much rejoice
For 'twas his lady gifted
Wi' the wreaths an' such bold voice
None knew what land from which she came
The prince's lady fair
They did not even know her name
But the young prince did not care
As he had promised he was wed
To the bearer of the wreaths
But they'd not shared their married bed
Before bein' stuck wi' grief
For as the prince his lady
Was taking by the hand
A serpent bit her viciously
Wi' venom like a brand
The prince kept vigil through the night
But fell to sleep near morn
An' when he woke, 'twas to this sight:
Gone was his lady's form
Enraged he searched for who could be
Would steal away his dead
He did not rest nor shut his eye
His vengeance burning red
He found no one an' as night fell
What by a tree was there
but a comb made all of glist'ning shell
Fall'n from his lady's hair
Three times he circled 'round the tree
Some other clue to find
The third time round a door saw he
A gate to faerie kind
He entered in wi' racing heart
Not know'n' what lay ahead
An' as he looked he gave a start
For his love was not dead
She lived but she was bounded tight
An' her face was strange an' fae
He saw in that enchanted light
What he'd not seen by day
"What are ye? Pray ye tell me
An' why so bounded tight?
Would that I could set ye free
But can I trust ye right?"
"I wish't the day'd never come
When ye, dear prince, must know
But these fae halls be my true home
Which I left not long ago.
'Twas for thy love I left them
Despite the elf-king's word
For thy love that I stole his wreaths
When of thy test I'd heard.
To steal the elf-wreaths was a crime
For which I now must pay
The king's snake drugged me that dark time
An' he stole me back away."
"O love I shall not doubt again
Thy trust an' love for me
This plight o' thine is too my pain
Come, let me set ye free."
"Would that ye could my dear one
But elven bonds hold tight
An' to be freed what must be done
Is to guess the king's name right."
"Give me a moon, nay but a week
An' I shall play his game
In seven days' time to him I'll speak
An' tell him back his name."
"A week, a month, 'tis all the same
My death this morn shall be
If ye can't find that devil's name
An' tell it swift to me."
"Thy death, my death, to me the same
An' as there's breath in me
I'll surely find that devil's name
An' tell it swift to thee."
Wi' promise to return he left
The name to find by dawn
To stay the punishment for theft
The prince searched on an' on
As first red came into the sky
He was near to despair
When a breeze in his ear gently sighed
The answer to his prayers
He hurried back his love to tell
An' then she bade him hide
For heralded by trumpet swell
Came the king of faerie kind
"How now, thief-rebel? Time to die
Unless ye knowst my name."
"Ye have not one O king most high
An' so you've lost your game."
The elf-king raged but set her free
For to his rules he stayed
An' the young prince of the gold wreaths three
With his fae love passed his days.
An heir his son might get
An' noble maidens from all lands
Sought to be bride an' yet-
The prince to them ne'er spoke a word
His heart was far away
With a secret love of whom he'd heard
Nothing for many days
He did not wish to marry
These noble ladies so
Devised a scheme to tarry
Without that they should know
"If ye be true then bring to me
Three golden-woven wreaths
An' they shall be your dowry
These splendid precious leaves."
Each princess offered him a crown
Wrought be the finest smiths
But there was none among them found
Could make a wreath as this
An' as the last princess despaired
An' cursed the prince's test
A fair new lady there appeared
Surpassing all the rest
"O prince," said she, "Forgive me
For being here the last
But I have brought thy wreaths to thee
An' now thy hand I'll ask."
The prince's heart then lifted
An' he did much rejoice
For 'twas his lady gifted
Wi' the wreaths an' such bold voice
None knew what land from which she came
The prince's lady fair
They did not even know her name
But the young prince did not care
As he had promised he was wed
To the bearer of the wreaths
But they'd not shared their married bed
Before bein' stuck wi' grief
For as the prince his lady
Was taking by the hand
A serpent bit her viciously
Wi' venom like a brand
The prince kept vigil through the night
But fell to sleep near morn
An' when he woke, 'twas to this sight:
Gone was his lady's form
Enraged he searched for who could be
Would steal away his dead
He did not rest nor shut his eye
His vengeance burning red
He found no one an' as night fell
What by a tree was there
but a comb made all of glist'ning shell
Fall'n from his lady's hair
Three times he circled 'round the tree
Some other clue to find
The third time round a door saw he
A gate to faerie kind
He entered in wi' racing heart
Not know'n' what lay ahead
An' as he looked he gave a start
For his love was not dead
She lived but she was bounded tight
An' her face was strange an' fae
He saw in that enchanted light
What he'd not seen by day
"What are ye? Pray ye tell me
An' why so bounded tight?
Would that I could set ye free
But can I trust ye right?"
"I wish't the day'd never come
When ye, dear prince, must know
But these fae halls be my true home
Which I left not long ago.
'Twas for thy love I left them
Despite the elf-king's word
For thy love that I stole his wreaths
When of thy test I'd heard.
To steal the elf-wreaths was a crime
For which I now must pay
The king's snake drugged me that dark time
An' he stole me back away."
"O love I shall not doubt again
Thy trust an' love for me
This plight o' thine is too my pain
Come, let me set ye free."
"Would that ye could my dear one
But elven bonds hold tight
An' to be freed what must be done
Is to guess the king's name right."
"Give me a moon, nay but a week
An' I shall play his game
In seven days' time to him I'll speak
An' tell him back his name."
"A week, a month, 'tis all the same
My death this morn shall be
If ye can't find that devil's name
An' tell it swift to me."
"Thy death, my death, to me the same
An' as there's breath in me
I'll surely find that devil's name
An' tell it swift to thee."
Wi' promise to return he left
The name to find by dawn
To stay the punishment for theft
The prince searched on an' on
As first red came into the sky
He was near to despair
When a breeze in his ear gently sighed
The answer to his prayers
He hurried back his love to tell
An' then she bade him hide
For heralded by trumpet swell
Came the king of faerie kind
"How now, thief-rebel? Time to die
Unless ye knowst my name."
"Ye have not one O king most high
An' so you've lost your game."
The elf-king raged but set her free
For to his rules he stayed
An' the young prince of the gold wreaths three
With his fae love passed his days.