Poems
The Maids Of Elfin-Mere
When the spinning-room was here
Came Three Damsels, clothed in white,
With their spindles every night;
One and Two and three fair Maidens,
Spinning to a pulsing cadence,
Singing songs of Elfin-Mere;
Till the eleventh hour was toll’d,
Then departed through the wold.
Years ago, and years ago;
And the tall reeds sigh as the wind doth blow.
Three white Lilies, calm and clear,
And they were loved by every one;
Most of all, the Pastor’s Son,
Listening to their gentle singing,
Felt his heart go from him, clinging
Round these Maids of Elfin-Mere.
Sued each night to make them stay,
Sadden’d when they went away.
Years ago, and years ago;
And the tall reeds sigh as the wind doth blow.
Hands that shook with love and fear
Dared put back the village clock,—
Flew the spindle, turn’d the rock,
Flow’d the song with subtle rounding,
Till the false ‘eleven’ was sounding;
Then these Maids of Elfin-Mere
Swiftly, softly, left the room,
Like three doves on snowy plume.
Years ago, and years ago;
And the tall reeds sigh as the wind doth blow.
One that night who wander’d near
Heard lamentings by the shore,
Saw at dawn three stains of gore
In the waters fade and dwindle.
Never more with song and spindle
Saw we Maids of Elfin-Mere,
The Pastor’s Son did pine and die;
Because true love should never lie.
Years ago, and years ago;
And the tall reeds sigh as the wind doth blow.
Came Three Damsels, clothed in white,
With their spindles every night;
One and Two and three fair Maidens,
Spinning to a pulsing cadence,
Singing songs of Elfin-Mere;
Till the eleventh hour was toll’d,
Then departed through the wold.
Years ago, and years ago;
And the tall reeds sigh as the wind doth blow.
Three white Lilies, calm and clear,
And they were loved by every one;
Most of all, the Pastor’s Son,
Listening to their gentle singing,
Felt his heart go from him, clinging
Round these Maids of Elfin-Mere.
Sued each night to make them stay,
Sadden’d when they went away.
Years ago, and years ago;
And the tall reeds sigh as the wind doth blow.
Hands that shook with love and fear
Dared put back the village clock,—
Flew the spindle, turn’d the rock,
Flow’d the song with subtle rounding,
Till the false ‘eleven’ was sounding;
Then these Maids of Elfin-Mere
Swiftly, softly, left the room,
Like three doves on snowy plume.
Years ago, and years ago;
And the tall reeds sigh as the wind doth blow.
One that night who wander’d near
Heard lamentings by the shore,
Saw at dawn three stains of gore
In the waters fade and dwindle.
Never more with song and spindle
Saw we Maids of Elfin-Mere,
The Pastor’s Son did pine and die;
Because true love should never lie.
Years ago, and years ago;
And the tall reeds sigh as the wind doth blow.
Analysis (ai): The poem follows mid-19th-century Victorian interest in folklore and supernatural themes, common in Allingham’s work, which often blends Irish legend with lyrical narrative.
Compared to his more pastoral and whimsical pieces, this poem stands out for its somber tone and narrative closure, aligning it more closely with ballad traditions than with the playful versification seen in much of his lesser-known output.
It reflects the era’s preoccupation with idealized femininity and moral consequences, particularly in the figure of the Pastor’s Son, whose emotional excess leads to ruin.
Narrative Structure and Symbolism: The four stanzas unfold chronologically, tracing the appearance, allure, deception, and disappearance of the maidens, culminating in tragedy.
The recurring refrain “Years ago, and years ago” emphasizes temporal distance and inevitability, reinforcing the legend-like quality.
The “tall reeds” serve as a persistent natural chorus, suggesting memory embedded in the landscape, a device less common in Allingham’s other poems, which tend to focus on human-centered imagery.
Supernatural Elements and Subtext: The damsels are likely supernatural—possibly spirits or fairies—whose conditional presence depends on temporal precision, a motif found in Celtic folklore.
Their white clothing and association with lilies suggest purity, but their vanishing after a manipulated clock implies a breach of natural or magical law.
The false “eleven” introduces the theme of human interference with fated cycles, a tension less overt in the author’s more lighthearted supernatural poems.
Gender and Desire: The Pastor’s Son’s longing drives the plot’s fatal turn, yet the poem subtly critiques male entitlement to female presence, especially through his act of tampering with time.
Unlike typical Victorian portrayals of passive female spirits, these maids exert control through ritual and timing, withdrawing when boundaries are crossed.
Their violent end may symbolize the cost of repressing or distorting desire, a theme understated but present in Allingham’s treatment of folklore.
Language and Sound: Archaic diction such as “damsels,” “wold,” and “sued” establishes an antique tone, distancing the events from contemporary reality and enhancing the ballad flavor.
The regular ABABBCBC rhyme scheme and rhythmic cadence mimic traditional songs, reinforcing the oral quality suggested by the spinning and singing.
While not formally experimental, the poem uses repetition and refrain more insistently than in Allingham’s usual loose lyrical forms.
Cultural Afterlife: Though not among his most anthologized works, this poem exemplifies Allingham’s ability to condense narrative mystery into compact form, a trait underappreciated in favor of his more accessible lyrics.
Its engagement with deception, time, and consequence offers a quieter parallel to the moral allegories popular in the period, while resisting overt didacticism.
Compared to his more pastoral and whimsical pieces, this poem stands out for its somber tone and narrative closure, aligning it more closely with ballad traditions than with the playful versification seen in much of his lesser-known output.
It reflects the era’s preoccupation with idealized femininity and moral consequences, particularly in the figure of the Pastor’s Son, whose emotional excess leads to ruin.
Narrative Structure and Symbolism: The four stanzas unfold chronologically, tracing the appearance, allure, deception, and disappearance of the maidens, culminating in tragedy.
The recurring refrain “Years ago, and years ago” emphasizes temporal distance and inevitability, reinforcing the legend-like quality.
The “tall reeds” serve as a persistent natural chorus, suggesting memory embedded in the landscape, a device less common in Allingham’s other poems, which tend to focus on human-centered imagery.
Supernatural Elements and Subtext: The damsels are likely supernatural—possibly spirits or fairies—whose conditional presence depends on temporal precision, a motif found in Celtic folklore.
Their white clothing and association with lilies suggest purity, but their vanishing after a manipulated clock implies a breach of natural or magical law.
The false “eleven” introduces the theme of human interference with fated cycles, a tension less overt in the author’s more lighthearted supernatural poems.
Gender and Desire: The Pastor’s Son’s longing drives the plot’s fatal turn, yet the poem subtly critiques male entitlement to female presence, especially through his act of tampering with time.
Unlike typical Victorian portrayals of passive female spirits, these maids exert control through ritual and timing, withdrawing when boundaries are crossed.
Their violent end may symbolize the cost of repressing or distorting desire, a theme understated but present in Allingham’s treatment of folklore.
Language and Sound: Archaic diction such as “damsels,” “wold,” and “sued” establishes an antique tone, distancing the events from contemporary reality and enhancing the ballad flavor.
The regular ABABBCBC rhyme scheme and rhythmic cadence mimic traditional songs, reinforcing the oral quality suggested by the spinning and singing.
While not formally experimental, the poem uses repetition and refrain more insistently than in Allingham’s usual loose lyrical forms.
Cultural Afterlife: Though not among his most anthologized works, this poem exemplifies Allingham’s ability to condense narrative mystery into compact form, a trait underappreciated in favor of his more accessible lyrics.
Its engagement with deception, time, and consequence offers a quieter parallel to the moral allegories popular in the period, while resisting overt didacticism.
William Allingham (19 March 1824 – 18 November 1889) was an Irish poet, diarist and editor. He wrote several volumes of lyric verse, and his poem “The Faeries” was much anthologised. But he is better known for his posthumously published Diary, in which he records his lively encounters with Tennyson, Carlyle and other writers and artists. His wife, Helen Allingham, was a well-known artist, watercolourist and illustrator.
