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The Beggar's Curse
Ann Pilling
For Benjamin and Thomas
CONTENTS
The Ballad of Semmerwater
Deep asleep, deep asleep,
Deep asleep it lies,
The still lake of Semmerwater
Under the still skies.
And many a fathom, many a fathom,
Many a fathom below,
In a king’s tower and a queen’s bower
The fishes come and go.
Once there stood by Semmerwater
A mickle town and tall;
King’s tower and queen’s bower,
And the wakeman on the wall.
Came a beggar halt and sore:
“I faint for lack of bread.”
King’s tower and queen’s bower
Cast him forth unfed.
He knocked at the door of the eller’s cot,
The eller’s cot in the dale.
They gave him of their oatcake.
They gave him of their ale.
He has cursed aloud that city proud,
He has cursed it in its pride;
He has cursed it into Semmerwater
Down the brant hillside;
He has cursed it into Semmerwater,
There to bide.
King’s tower and queen’s bower,
And a mickle town and tall;
By glimmer of scale and gleam of fin,
Folks have seen them all.
King’s tower and queen’s bower,
And weed and reed in the gloom;
And a lost city in Semmerwater,
Deep asleep till Doom.
William Watson
Someone was hammering on the Blakemans’ front door. Prill ran to open
