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by William Sharp (1855 - 1905), as Fiona Macleod

The Washer of the Ford
Language: English 
There is a lonely stream afar in a lone dim land:
It hath white dust for shore it has, white bones bestrew the strand:
The only thing that liveth there is a naked leaping sword;
But I, who a seer am, have seen the whirling hand
    Of the Washer of the Ford.

A shadowy shape of cloud and mist, of gloom and dusk, she stands,
    The Washer of the Ford:
She laughs, at times, and strews the dust through the hollow of her hands.

She counts the sins of all men there, and slays the red-stained horde -- 
The ghosts of all the sins of men must know the whirling sword
  Of the Washer of the Ford.

She stoops and laughs when in the dust she sees a writhing limb:
Go back into the ford," she says, "and hither and thither swim;
Then I shall wash you white as snow, and shall take you by the hand,
And slay you there in silence with this my whirling brand,
And trample you into the dust of this white, windless sand" --
  This is the laughing word
  Of the Washer of the Ford
  Along that silent strand.

Text Authorship:

  • by William Sharp (1855 - 1905), as Fiona Macleod, "The Washer of the Ford", appears in From the Hills of Dream, first published 1896 [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 Granville Ransome Bantock, Sir (1868 - 1946), "The Washer of the Ford", published 1929 [ voice and piano ], song for children [sung text not yet checked]

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2008-08-18
Line count: 19
Word count: 193

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