The fairies

Up the aery mountain, 
Down the rushy glen,
We daren't go ahunting
for fear of little men;

Wee folk, good folk,
Trooping all together;
Green jacket, Red cap
And white owl's feather.

Down along the rocky shore
Some make their home,
They live on crispy pancakes,
Of yellow tide foam;

Some in the reeds
Of the black mountain lake,
With frogs for their watchdogs,
all night awake.

High on the hilltop the old king sits;
He is now so old and grey
He's nigh lost his wits
With a bridge of white mist...

Columkille he crosses
On his stately journies 
From Slieve
League to Rosses.

Or going up with music
On cold starry nights,
To sup with the queen
Of the gay Northern Lights.

They stole little Bridget
for seven years long,
And when she came down again
Her friends were all gone.

They took her lightly back,
Between the night and morrow,
They thought she was fast asleep,
But she was dead from sorrow.

They have kept her ever since
Deep within a lake,
On a bed of flag leaves,
Watching till she wake...

By the craggy hillside,
Through the mosses bare,
They have planted thorntrees,
For pleasure here and there.

Is any man so daring,
As dig them up in spite,
He shall find their sharpest thorns
In his bed at night.

by William Allingham (1824-1889) , "The fairies", from Poems, published 1850

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive)

by Hubert Bath (1883-1945) , "Fairies" [recited]
by Sir Arnold Edward Trevor Bax (1883-1953) , "The fairies", 1908, published 1919.
by Seoirse Bodley (1933-) , "The Fairies", <<1968.
by James Henry Baseden Butt (1929-) , "Up the aery mountain", published 1961.
by Bernard van Dieren (1887-1936) , "The Fairies", 1920.
by (Mrs.) Jessie Lovel Gaynor, née Smith (1863-1921) , "The Fairy Folk", published 1920.
by Louis Gruenberg (1884-1964) , "The Fairy Folk", published 1934.
by Henry Kimball Hadley (1871-1937) , "The Fairies", published 1894. [choral]
by Mirrie Irma Hill (1892-?) , "We daren't go ahunting", 1971. [choral]
by Walter Cecil Macfarren (1826-1905) , "The Fairies", published 1872. [choral]
by Paul Mimart , "The little men", <<1940.
by Alicia Adélaïda Needham (1863-1945) , "Up the aery mountain", published 1927. [ss a cappella?]
by George Rathbone (1874-?) , "Up the airy mountain" [two-part chorus of female or boys' voices and piano]
by Sir Hugh Stevenson Roberton (1874-1952) , "Up the aery mountain", published 1952. [unison song]
by Arthur T. Robinson , "The Fairies", published 1895. [4 pt chorus a cappella?]
by Martin Edward Fallas Shaw (1875-1958) , "Up the aery mountain", published 1920. [2pt chorus]
by Gladys Taylor , "Up the aery mountain", published 1934. [unison song]
by Mansel Treharne Thomas (1909-) , "The Fairies", published 1952 [ssa,pf], note: also set in Welsh.
by F. E. Ward , "The fairies", published c1914. [partsong for SAATBB chorus a cappella]
by Felix Harold White (1884-1945) , "Up the aery mountain", published 1922.
by (Hubert) Leslie Woodgate (1902-1961) , "Up the aery mountain", published 1938. [2pt chorus]

Added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.

Gentle Reminder

This project is not funded. If you found the information here useful, please consider making a donation. Your gift is greatly appreciated!      - Emily I also have a wishlist at Amazon.ca.

Search/Shop for

Sheet music:

  Search sheetmusicplus.com for The little men, The Fairy Folk, The fairies, Up the aery mountain, Fairies, Up the airy mountain, We daren't go ahunting, Art song , Lieder, chansons, or works for solo voice
  Search musicroom.com for The little men, The Fairy Folk, The fairies, Up the aery mountain, Fairies, Up the airy mountain, We daren't go ahunting, vocal/choral music

CDs:

  Search amazon.com for The little men, The Fairy Folk, The fairies, Up the aery mountain, Fairies, Up the airy mountain, We daren't go ahunting, art song, Lieder, or chansons
  Search amazon.ca for The little men, The Fairy Folk, The fairies, Up the aery mountain, Fairies, Up the airy mountain, We daren't go ahunting, art song, Lieder, or chansons

Books:

  The Art of the Song Recital [amazon.com]
  The Book of Lieder: The Original Texts of Over 1000 Songs [amazon.com]
  Search amazon.com for art song, Lieder, or chansons
  Search amazon.ca for art song, lieder, or chansons

Classical Vocal Repertoire