XXXVIII.

      “Wept wepton wish wept,
      Pray this Copy accept”—­
But here on the Stranger some Kidnappers leapt: 
      For why a shrewd man
      Had devis’d a sly plan
The Wonder to grab for a show Caravan.

XXXIX.

      So plotted, so done—­
      With a fight as in fun,
While mock pugilistical rounds were begun,
      A knave who could box,
      And give right and left knocks,
Caught hold of the Prize by his silvery locks.

XL.

      And hard he had fared,
      But the people were scared
By what the Interpreter roundly declared;
      “You ignorant Turks! 
      You will be your own Burkes—­
He holds all the keys of the lunary works!”

XLI.

      “You’d best let him go—­
      If you keep him below,
The Moon will not change, and the tides will not flow;
      He left her at full,
      And with such a long pull,
Zounds! ev’ry man Jack will run mad like a bull!”

XLII.

      So awful a threat
      Took effect on the set;
The fright, tho’, was more than their Guest could forget;
      So taking a jump,
      In the car he came plump,
And threw all the ballast right out in a lump.

XLIII.

      Up soar’d the machine,
      With its yellow and green;
But still the pale face of the Creature was seen,
      Who cried from the car
      "Dam in yooman bi gar!”
That is,—­“What a sad set of villains you are!”

XLIV.

      Howbeit, at some height,
      He threw down quite a flight
Of Almanacks, wishing to set us all right—­
      And, thanks to the boon,
      We shall see very soon
If Murphy knows most, or the Man in the Moon!

QUEEN MAB.

A little fairy comes at night,
  Her eyes are blue, her hair is brown,
With silver spots upon her wings,
  And from the moon she flutters down.

She has a little silver wand,
  And when a good child goes to bed
She waves her wand from right to left,
  And makes a circle round its head.

And then it dreams of pleasant things,
  Of fountains filled with fairy fish,
And trees that bear delicious fruit,
  And bow their branches at a wish;

Of arbors filled with dainty scents
  From lovely flowers that never fade;
Bright flies that glitter in the sun,
  And glow-worms shining in the shade.

And talking birds with gifted tongues,
  For singing songs and telling tales,
And pretty dwarfs to show the way
  Through fairy hills and fairy dales.