Tennyson's "The May Queen"

As it is almost May, I thought I'd post a bit of  poem on the subject. Get you all fired up to host a May Day party. ;) This is part one of Lord Tennyson's "May Queen." Enjoy it!

"The May Queen"

Alfred, Lord Tennyson

You must wake and call me early, call me early, mother dear;

To-morrow 'ill be the happiest time of all the glad [1] New-year;

Of all the glad New-year, mother, the maddest merriest day;

For I'm to be Queen o' the May, mother, I'm to be Queen o' the May.

There's many a black, black eye, they say, but none so bright as mine;

There's Margaret and Mary, there's Kate and Caroline:

But none so fair as little Alice in all the land they say,

So I'm to be Queen o' the May, mother, I'm to be Queen o' the May.

I sleep so sound all night, mother, that I shall never wake,

If you [2] do not call me loud when the day begins to break:

But I must gather knots of flowers, and buds and garlands gay,

For I'm to be Queen o' the May, mother, I'm to be Queen o' the May.

As I came up the valley whom think ye should I see,

But Robin [3] leaning on the bridge beneath the hazel-tree?

He thought of that sharp look, mother, I gave him yesterday,--

But I'm to be Queen o' the May, mother, I'm to be Queen o' the May.

He thought I was a ghost, mother, for I was all in white,

And I ran by him without speaking, like a flash of light.

They call me cruel-hearted, but I care not what they say,

For I'm to be Queen o' the May, mother, I'm to be Queen o' the May.

They say he's dying all for love, but that can never be:

They say his heart is breaking, mother--what is that to me?

There's many a bolder lad 'ill woo me any summer day,

And I'm to be Queen o' the May, mother, I'm to be Queen o' the May.

Little Effie shall go with me to-morrow to the green,

And you'll be there, too, mother, to see me made the Queen;

For the shepherd lads on every side 'ill come from far away,

And I'm to be Queen o' the May, mother, I'm to be Queen o' the May.

The honeysuckle round the porch has wov'n its wavy bowers,

And by the meadow-trenches blow the faint sweet cuckoo-flowers;

And the wild marsh-marigold shines like fire in swamps and hollows gray,

And I'm to be Queen o' the May, mother, I'm to be Queen o' the May.

The night-winds come and go, mother, upon the meadow-grass,

And the happy stars above them seem to brighten as they pass;

There will not be a drop of rain the whole of the live-long day,

And I'm to be Queen o' the May, mother, I'm to be Queen o' the May.

All the valley, mother, 'ill be fresh and green and still,

And the cowslip and the crowfoot are over all the hill,

And the rivulet in the flowery dale 'ill merrily glance and play,

For I'm to be Queen o' the May, mother, I'm to be Queen o' the May.

So you must wake and call me early, call me early, mother dear,

To-morrow 'ill be the happiest time of all the glad New-year:

To-morrow 'ill be of all the year the maddest merriest day,

For I'm to be Queen o' the May, mother, I'm to be Queen o' the May.

A New Contest Here At the Inkpen Authoress!!!

(Not my picture. All photos in this post courtesy of Google images. :)

I am very pleased to announce the newest contest here on the Inkpen Authoress! :) Everyone, meet The Merry Auld England Writing Challenge! :)

As you all know, I am a great lover of English literature: everything Dickens, everything Austen, everything Tolkien and C.S. Lewis, everything Gaskell, everything Bronte! And my list goes on. :) England itself is a country full of magnificent literary potential. From deep forests for sunny countryside, from the coasts of Devon to the wild moors of the North, there are so many wonderful settings! So I thought, my darling readers, why not concoct a brilliant contest to celebrate this amazing country and it's legion of priceless books?! And so I did. :)

Here are the rules:

1.) Be clever, beautiful, and accomplished with your words. One of the great charms of English literature is its careful wordcrafting. :) So open up your mind and pen to the ornate thoughts and interesting words lying stale in the corners. This is a time to shine and show your love for truly great writing! :)

2.) Choose a subject that has to do with England! You could spin a tale about Bath, or a romance set in the wild of the Northlands. You could write a new story about Robin Hood and his merry men, or compose your own ending for Mrs. Gaskell's unfinished Wives and Daughters. (NOT if you've seen the BBC movie, though! ;D) You could scribble an amusing tale in the style of Dickens, or a witty story about Society people in the manner of Jane Austen. You could write a Tolkien-ish poem, or take after Tennyson and do a dramatic romance. For pity's sake, you could even astonish the world and try your hand as Shakespearing! :D The possibilities are endless!

3.) You may write your entry as a poem, a short story, or a play. Please refrain from using any bad language, crude humor, or improper views of God in your submission, as these will immediately be disqualified, however lovely the writing.

Send all submissions to inkpencontestsubmissions@gmail.com. Each participant may enter one submission into each category. :)

4.) The Prizes? (Yes, I said prizes :) I will choose one winner from each category: Poetry, Prose, and Drama. (as in a play, if I even get any entries there :) The prizes are yet to be announced, but each winner will get their work of literature published on my blog in addition to the prize. Glory! Glory! ;) After the contest all rights will revert to the author, and I promise not to change anything in the wording of the entries, scalp them of their titles, or in any other way pirate your work. :D

5.) In order to be eligible for this contest you must:

Follow this blog (I would love new followers! *sweet hopeful smile* :)

Love literature with a passion

Post about this contest on your blog or on Facebook, Twitter, or anywhere else you haunt. (Excepting, of course, those girls of you who do none of the above, in which case you're Scot-free)

And, of course, get your entry to me by September 9th, 2011! :) (That gives you girls a month to enter. I'll write up a little reminder gadget and put it up near the top of the blog in case your forget. :P)

*****THE CONTEST CLOSING DATE HAS BEEN MOVED FORWARD TO SEPTEMBER 23, 2011******

So pens ready? On your mark, get set, be brilliant!!! My pen salutes your own. I hope many many writers enter this contest! It'll be great! I will make a button for the contest at some point, so stay tuned for that. :) Thanks so much for entering! ~Rachel

A New Year's Poem

Enjoy this lovely poem for the New Year! :) ~Rachel

"Ring Out, Wild Bells"
Alfred Lord Tennyson

Ring out, wild bells, to the wild sky,
The flying cloud, the frosty light;
The year is dying in the night;
Ring out, wild bells, and let him die.

Ring out the old, ring in the new,
Ring, happy bells, across the snow:
The year is going, let him go;
Ring out the false, ring in the true.

Ring out the grief that saps the mind,
For those that here we see no more,
Ring out the feud of rich and poor,
Ring in redress to all mankind.

Ring out a slowly dying cause,
And ancient forms of party strife;
Ring in the nobler modes of life,
With sweeter manners, purer laws.

Ring out the want, the care the sin,
The faithless coldness of the times;
Ring out, ring out my mournful rhymes,
But ring the fuller minstrel in.

Ring out false pride in place and blood,
The civic slander and the spite;
Ring in the love of truth and right,
Ring in the common love of good.

Ring out old shapes of foul disease,
Ring out the narrowing lust of gold;
Ring out the thousand wars of old,
Ring in the thousand years of peace.

Ring in the valiant man and free,
The larger heart, the kindlier hand;
Ring out the darkness of the land,
Ring in the Christ that is to be.