In a shady nook one moonlight night
Language: English
In a shady nook one moonlight night, a leprechaun I spied: With scarlet cap and coat of green, A cruiskeen by his side. 'Twas tick tack tick, his hammer went, Upon a weeny shoe; And I laughed to think of a purse of gold; but the fairy was laughing too! With tiptoe step and beating heart, Quite softly I drew nigh: There was mischief in his merry face; A twinkle in his eye. He hammered and sang with tiny voice, And drank his mountain dew, And I laughed to think he was caught at last; But the fairy was laughing too! As quick as thought I seized the elf: "Your fairy purse," I cried. "The purse," he said, " 'tis in her hand, That lady at your side." I turned to look: the elf was off! Then what was I to do? O, I laughed to think what a fool I'd been; And the fairy was laughing too!
About the headline (FAQ)
In Hughes' score the text is attributed to Patrick Weston Joyce, who may have been the collector of this folk text. "Leprechaun" is spelled "leprehaun" in his score.
Glossary
criuskeen = whisky bottle
Authorship:
- from Volkslieder (Folksongs) , no title
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Herbert Hughes (1882 - 1937), "The leprechaun" [ voice and piano ], arrangement of a folk melody [sung text checked 1 time]
Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Garrett Medlock [Guest Editor] , David Arkell [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2010-05-07
Line count: 24
Word count: 158