Fairy Help needed
My wife is from England, and is trying to recall the words of a poem
she learnt as a little girl. I can’t find it on the web, and thought you might be able to help.
It goes something like this:
‘If you meet a fairy, don’t run away.
She won’t want to hurt you,
she’ll only want to play.
Show her round the garden,
around the house, too.
she’ll want to see the kitchen,
they always do….”
If you could identity this poem, and the author, and point me to the
words, I’d most appreciate it.
Hal Cauthen
November 11th, 2007 at 1:40 pm
hi i think this is the rest of the poem you need
i knew a little girl who once saw 24
she ran into the nursery and hid behind the door
hid behind the nursery door what a thing to do
she grew up very solemn and very ugly too
find a tiny present to give her when she goes
they love siolver paper and pretty ribbon bows
so if you meet a fairy dont run away
she wont want to hurt you .she,ll only want to play
December 13th, 2007 at 3:17 pm
Hi, Like your wife I learnt this poem as a girl at infant school at RAF Benson, Oxfordshire around 1963/64 (would need to check).
My recollection of the words are:
‘If you meet a fairy, don’t run away.
She won’t want to hurt you,
she’ll only want to play.
Show her round the garden,
and around the house, too.
she’ll want to see the kitchen,
I know they always do….”
Find a tiny present to give her when she goes
The love silver paper and little ribbon bows.
I knew a girl who met 23
playing in the garden as happy as could be
They asked her to play with them to make it 24
but she ran to the nursery and hid behind the door
hid behind the nursery door what a thing to do
she grew up rather loney and very selfish too
So if you meet a fairy, remember what I say
Talk to her nicely
and please dont run away”.
Like your wife I would live to know the (exact) words to this poem that have stayed with me all these years so if you should track them down I would love to hear !
Yvonne (yjwhiteley@red-scientific.co.uk)
December 13th, 2007 at 4:46 pm
Thank you both for your responses.
These seem to my wife very like what she recalls.
Still haven’t found the ‘author’, but will keep trying.
Merry Christmas!
Hal
November 28th, 2008 at 3:48 am
I can see by the date of the original post, that this is an old thread. But I do believe that what you are looking at is an exerpt from a book “The Fairy Flute” written by Rose Fyleman in 1921.
Here is a link to follow:
http://www.archive.org/stream/fairyflute00fyleuoft/fairyflute00fyleuoft_djvu.txt
April 25th, 2010 at 1:52 pm
Hi Hal,
I learnt ‘If You Meet a Fairy’, when just three years old (1947). I have this poem on my website – http://www.poemsdelight.com If you wish to know the exact words and other sweet little poems, that’s where your find it
http://www.poemsdelight.com/childrenspoems.html
Best wishes
Daphne
June 1st, 2010 at 2:50 am
I found the in a book my Great-Grandmother left me and it was clipped out of a September 21, 1921 Herald and Presbyter magazine:
Fairy Fancies
If you meet a fairy
Don’t run away;
She won’t want to hurt you,
She’ll only want to play.
Show her round the garden
And round the house too;
She’d love to see the kitchen
(I know they always do).
Find a little present
To give her when she goes;
They’re fond of silver-paper
And tiny ribbon bows.
I knew a little girl once
Who saw Twenty-Three
Dancing in the orchard
As jolly as could be;
They asked her to join them
And make a twenty-four,
She ran to the nursery
And hid behind the door:
Hid in the nursery
(What a thing to do!)
She grew up very solemn
And rather ugly too.
If you meet a fairy
Remember what I say:
Talk to her nicely
And don’t run away.
-Punch
July 16th, 2010 at 3:39 pm
How kind that was to send us the poem. It never ceases to amaze me how little things like this can open up great feelings of family love and nostalgia, many blessings to you, Myrea x