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by Walter De la Mare (1873 - 1956)

Dame Hickory
Language: English 
 "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."

Text 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

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