"Dame Hickory, Dame Hickory, Here's sticks for your fire, Furze-twigs, and oak-twigs, And beech-twigs, and briar!" But when old Dame Hickory came for to see, She found 'twas the voice of the False Faerie. "Dame Hickory, Dame Hickory, Here's meat for your broth, Goose-flesh, and hare's flesh, And pig's trotters both!" But when old Dame Hickory came for to see, She found 'twas the voice of the False Faerie. "Dame Hickory, Dame Hickory, Here's a wolf at your door, His teeth grinning white, And his tongue wagging sore!" "Nay!" said Dame Hickory, "ye False Faerie! But a wolf 'twas indeed, and famished was he. "Dame Hickory, Dame Hickory, Here's buds for your tomb, Bramble, and lavender, And rosemary bloom!" "Wh-s-st!" said Dame Hickory, "ye False Faerie, Ye cry like a wolf, ye do, and trouble poor me."
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Authorship:
- by Walter De la Mare (1873 - 1956), "Dame Hickory", appears in Songs of Childhood, first published 1902 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Cecil Armstrong Gibbs (1889 - 1960), "Dame Hickory", published 1922 [ SA chorus and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2008-01-09
Line count: 24
Word count: 138