The poetical works of John Godfrey Saxe Household Edition : with illustrations |
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THE UGLY AUNT.
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 | The poetical works of John Godfrey Saxe |  |
THE UGLY AUNT.
A NORWEGIAN TALE.
I.
It was a little maidenLived long and long ago
(Though when it was, and where it was,
I'm sure I do not know),
And her face was all the fortune
This maiden had to show.
II.
And yet—what many peopleWill think extremely rare
In one who, like this maiden,
Ne'er knew a mother's care—
The neighbors all asserted
That she was good as fair.
III.
“Alack!” exclaimed the damsel,While bitter tears she shed,
“I'm little skilled to labor,
And yet I must be fed;
I fain by daily service
Would earn my daily bread.”
IV.
And so she sought a palace,Where dwelt a mighty queen,
And when the royal lady
The little maid had seen,
She loved her for her beauty,
Despite her lowly mein.
V.
Not long she served her MajestyEre jealousy arose
(Because she was the favorite,
As you may well suppose),
And all the other servants
Became her bitter foes.
VI.
And so these false companions,In envy of her face,
Contrived a wicked stratagem
To bring her to disgrace,
And fill her soul with sorrow,
And rob her of her place.
VII.
They told her royal Majesty(Most arrant liars they!)
That often, in their gossiping,
They'd heard the maiden say
That she could spin a pound of flax
All in a single day!
VIII.
“Indeed!” exclaimed her Majesty,“I'm fond of spinning too;
So come, my little maiden,
And make your boasting true:
Or else your foolish vanity
You presently may rue!”
IX.
Alas! the hapless damselWas now afflicted sore,
No mother e'er had taught her
In such ingenious lore;
A spinning-wheel, in all her life,
She ne'er had seen before!
120
X.
But fearing much to tell the queenHow she had been belied,
She tried to spin upon the wheel,
And still in vain she tried;
And so—'t was all that she could do—
She sat her down and cried.
XI.
Now while she thus laments her fateIn sorrow deep and wild,
A beldam stands before her view,
And says, in accents mild:
“What ails thee now, my pretty one,
Say what's the matter, child?”
XII.
Soon as she heard the piteous case,“Cheer up!” the beldam said,
“I'll spin for thee the pound of flax,
And thou shalt go to bed,
If only thou wilt call me ‘aunt,’
The day that thou art wed!”
XIII.
The maiden promised true and fair,And when the day was done,
The queen went in to see the task,
And found it fairly spun.
Quoth she, “I love the passing well,
And thou shalt wed my son.”
XIV.
“For one who spins so well as the(In sooth! 't is wonderous fine!)
With beauty, too, so very rare,
And goodness such as thine,
Should be the daughter of a queen,
And I will have thee mine!”
XV.
Now when the wedding-day had come,And, decked in royal pride,
Around the smoking table sat
The bridegroom and the bride,
With all the royal kinsfolk,
And many guests beside,
XVI.
In came a beldam, with a frisk;Was ever dame so bold?
Or one so lean and wrinkled,
Or so ugly and so old,
Or with a nose so very long
And shocking to behold?
XVII.
Now while they sat in wondermentThis curious dame to see,
She said unto the Princess,
As bold as bold could be:
“Good morrow, gentle lady!”
“Good morrow, Aunt!” quoth she.
XVIII.
The Prince with gay demeanor,But with an inward groan,
The bade her sit at table,
And said, in friendly tone,
“If you're my bride's relation,
Why, then you are my own!”
XIX.
When dinner now was ended,As you may well suppose,
The Prince still thought about his Aunt
And still his wonder rose
Where could the ugly beldam
Have got so long a nose.
XX.
At last he plainly asked her,Before that merry throng,
And she as plainly answered
(Nor deemed his freedom wrong):
“'T was spinning, in my girlhood,
That made my nose so long.”
XXI.
“Indeed!” exclaimed his Highness,And then and there he swore:
“Though spinning made me husband
To her whom I adore,
Lest she should spoil her beauty,
Why, she shall spin no more!”
| The poetical works of John Godfrey Saxe | |