Moigré sits at her solar door,

A-spinning thread so fine;

She hears a note from Eldran's Wood

And wishes she could fly.

She lets the thread fall from her hand,

Her spinning wheel does slow,

For she has run to Eldran's Wood

As fast as she can go.

She's not yet pulled a flow'r, a flow'r,

Nor trod upon a stone,

When to her comes King Han Taín,

And finds her there alone.

"Why come thou here?" he says, he says,

"To walk beneath my trees?

"Why pull my fairest flow'rs, maid,

"And make thyself so free?"

The lady says, "I'll ask no leave,

"Not even, sir, of thee:

"My father's lord of all this realm

"This wood belongs to me."

He looks her up, he looks her down,

He finds her passing fair,

And he without a wife has been—

But not one hour more.

For 'twas his song the lady heard

And followed from from her home,

And now the stranger takes her hand

And steals her for his own.

The highest tree in Eldran's Wood

He fells with one command

And with it, he builds up a house:

The finest in the land.

He builds it high, he builds it strong,

He makes it all secure—

Though no one ever travels by

He shelters it from view.

King Han Taín takes Moigré fair

And locks her clean away

And there she's bound to be his wife

Until her dying day.

He keeps her there in Eldran's Wood

For six long years and one

Until six pretty sons she bears

A seventh soon to come.

And then, upon a sunny day,

The good king goes for game,

And with him goes his eldest son

Prince Diarmán by name.

When they have gone a goodly way,

Along a winding creek,

With heavy heart and musing mind

The boy begins to speak.

"A question I would ask, father,

"If thou'lt not angry be."

"Say on, say on, my bonny boy,

"Thou canst not trouble me."

The boy says, "Mother's cheeks are wet;

"How oft' the lady cries!

"I wonder why my mother weeps

"And mourns and grieves and sighs."

The faerie king lets out a laugh

And takes his son's small hand.

"Your mother was a king's daughter

"Born in the World of Man.

"I came upon her one fine day

"And took her for my own,

"But she is human, weak and soft

"And mourns the world she'd known."

Young Diarmán says nothing more

But he mulls hard and long

And love for his dear mother fair

Shows him his father's wrong.

So now, upon a moonlight night,

Young Diarmán grows brave;

He takes his magic flute in hand,

His fam'ly for to save.

With just one song he works a spell

And glamours a disguise

That will deceive King Han Taín

And veil them from his eyes.

Each brother takes a creature's shape:

The first he makes a bear

The second brother is a lark

The third becomes a hare.

The fourth young lad becomes a wolf

The fifth an antlered stag,

And Lady Moigré, fair and sweet,

He turns into a hag.

And for himself he takes a cloak

To wear as a disguise

So in the deep and darkling night

He can't be recognized.

He takes his mother by the hand

And opens up the door

And on they go through Eldran's wood

They run, and leap, and soar.

They have not fled so long, so long,

On through that eldritch place,

When Han Taín steps from the trees

A scowl upon his face.

"And who art thou?" he cries, he cries,

"Thou ugly, withered maid,

"Who walks along my winding paths

"W'thy animal parade?

"Go, get thee hence! Stay not! Bide not!

"I tell thee now, make haste!

"I favor not the sight of thee!"

And thus do they escape.

'Tis in the dark before the dawn

When they leave the woods behind

They cross a grassy, moonlit field

A castle there to find.

Young Diarmán knows not this place

He's never walked this land

But his dear mother gives to him

Three rings from her own hand.

"I have no money," says she now,

"Just these three golden rings:

"I'll give them thee, mine eldest son,

"And you'll walk there for me.

"Give one ring to the porter there,

"He'll open up the gates;

"The second's for the serving maid,

"Who brings my lord his plate.

"The third one you should keep, my love,

"'Til you stand before my lord:

"He'll know you as my own, my sweet,

"By this little ring of gold."

Diarmán takes each small ring

And leaves his family safe

He goes across the grassy field

Toward the castle gate.

The porter takes the golden ring

He lets the boy inside

And there the serving maid awaits;

She takes her gift with pride.

She leads our prince into the hall

Where all are set to dine

The third ring gleams upon his hand

So precious and so fine.

Now when he comes before the lord

Diarmán falls to his knee

The lord looks down from his high place

Through tears, he cannot see.

"Get up, get up, my bonny boy,

"Go from my company!

"You look so like my fair daughter

"My heart will burst in three."

"If I look like your daughter, lord,

"A wonder it is none

"I wear her ring upon my hand

"For I'm her eldest son."

"Then tell me now, my bonny boy,

"Where is my dear Moigré?"

"She stands now at your gates, my lord

"Where nearly dawns the day."

"O let her in!" the lord he cries

"And bring her, safe and sound!

"For all this day and all this night

"She nowhere could be found!"

Then she comes in before the king

Tears falling from her eyes

And young Diarmán unweaves his spell

And she sheds her disguise.

"Get up! Get up, my daughter dear!

"O where, where have you been?

"I feared that you'd been lost and gone

"Ne'er to be seen again!"

"King Han Taín took me away,"

Said Moigré through her tears,

"And he'll return, you mark my words,

"That's what my heart most fears."

Then Lord Emón of Eldran's Wood

Shouts out a bold command:

"We'll burn that cursed forest down

"And slay that fell brigand!"

As he declares, so all 'tis done,

The ancient wood consumed.

Beneath the ash and cinders there

Lies Han Taín entombed."