Chapter I: Introduction: Revival of the Romantic element in modern

poetry—Origin of the term “Fairy”—Fays of early French
literature—Source of the conceptions at the base of English
fairy poetry—Huon de Bordeaux—Oberon—Spiritual traditions
of Gothic and Celtic nations—Lineage of the fairies—Romance
of Orfeo and Heurodis—Stature of the fairies—Their
religious faith—The Fairy Queen—Robin Goodfellow—The elfin
hierarchies—Romaunt of the Knight Launfal—Value of English
fairy poetry—Plan of the present anthology ix

THE FOREVIEW.

EDGAR ALLAN POE—Fairyland 3

PRELUDE.

FELICIA HEMANS—Fairies’ Recall 7

THE FAIRY FAMILY.

EDMUND SPENSER—The Rolls of Elfin Emperours 11

SIR SIMEON STEWARD—The Faery King 13

BEN JONSON—Queen Mab 15

OLD POEM—The Fairy Queen 16

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE—Queen Mab; Lullaby for Titania 18, 19

L. E. L.—The Fairy Queen Sleeping 20

OLD POEM—Robin Good-fellow 22

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE—Puck’s Song 26

ROBERT HERRICK—The Fair Temple; Oberon’s Feast; Oberon’s
Palace 27, 31, 32

THOMAS HOOD—The Water Lady 36

SAMUEL MINTON PECK—The Pixies 37

ANDREW JAMES SYMINGTON—Song of the Water Sprite 38

MARGARET DIXON—A Legend of the Water-Spirit, called Neckan 40

JAMES HOGG—The Mermaid 42

SARAH WILLIAMS—Song of the Water Nixies 46

PHILIP BOURKE MARSTON—Flower Fairies 47

THOMAS LAKE HARRIS—Song of the Twilight Fairies 49

L. E. L.—Fairies on the Sea-shore 50

CHRONICLES OF FAIRYLAND.

MICHAEL DRAYTON—Nymphidia: The Court of Fairy 55

WILLIAM ALLINGHAM—Prince Brightkin 77

J. RODMAN DRAKE—The Culprit Fay 92

TRAVELS IN FAIRYLAND.

SIR WALTER SCOTT—Thomas the Rhymer 115

JAMES HOGG—Kilmeny 126

PHILIP JAMES BAILEY—A Fairy Tale 136

A. MARY F. ROBINSON—The Conquest of Fairyland 149

MEN AND FAIRIES.

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE—The Approach of Titania 159

THOMAS PARNELL—A Fairy Tale 161

JOHN LEYDEN—The Elfin King 167

OLD BALLAD—The Young Tamlane 175

WILLIAM NICHOLSON—The Brownie of Blednock 185

JOHN KEATS—La Belle Dame Sans Merci 189

THOMAS MOORE—The Mountain Sprite 192

SAMUEL LOVER—The Fairy Boy 193

SAMUEL LOVER—The Fairy Tempter 194

MARY HOWITT—The Fairies of the Caldon-Low 195

CLARENCE MANGAN—The Fairies’ Passage 198

JAMES TEELING—Thubber-na-Shie; or, The Fairy Well 202

SAMUEL LOVER—The Haunted Spring 205

CLARENCE MANGAN—The Romance of the Fairy Cure 207

EDWARD WALSH—The Fairy Nurse 209

SAMUEL FERGUSON—The Fairy Thorn; The Fairy Well of Lagnanay 210, 213

CHARLES MACKAY—Kelpie of Corrievreckan 216

R. H. HORNE—The Elf of the Woodlands 221

WILLIAM ALLINGHAM—Two Fairies in a Garden 239

EDMUND CLARENCE STEDMAN—Elfin Song 245

GRAHAM R. TOMSON—The Ferlie 248

MISCELLANEOUS.

ROBERT SOUTHEY—The Fountain of the Fairies 253

SAMUEL TAYLOR COLERIDGE—Songs of the Pixies 254

FELICIA HEMANS—Fairy Favours; Water Lilies: A Fairy Song 258, 260

L. E. L.—Fantasies 261

ANONYMOUS—The City of Gold 262

WILLIAM ALLINGHAM—The Fairies; The Maids of Elfin Mere 263, 265