Poetry of Fables, Fairies, and Fauna Fables, Fairies, and Fauna    

Lesson 35: The Leprechaun or the Fairy Shoemaker

by William Allingham

Performer: Librivox - Rosslyn Carlyle


Little Cowboy, what have you heard,

Up on the lonely rath's green mound?

Only the plaintive yellow bird

Sighing in sultry fields around,

Chary, chary, chary, chee-ee!-

Only the grasshopper and the bee?-

"Tip-tap, rip-rap,

Tick-a-tack-too!

Scarlet leather sewn together,

This will make a shoe.

Left, right, pull it tight;

Summer days are warm;

Underground in winter,

Laughing at the storm!"

Lay your ear close to the hill.

Do you not catch the tiny clamour,

Busy click of an Elfin hammer,

Voice of the Leprechaun singing shrill

As he merrily plies his trade?

He's a span

And a quarter in height.

Get him in sight, hold him tight,

And you're a made man!



You watch your cattle the summer day,

Sup on potatoes, sleep in the hay:

How would you like to roll in your carriage,

Look for a Duchess's daughter in marriage?

Seize the Shoemaker-then you may!

"Big boots a-hunting,

Sandals in the hall,

White for a wedding-feast,

Pink for a ball.

This way, that way,

So we make a shoe;

Getting rich every stitch,

Tick-tack-too!"

Nine-and-ninety treasure-crocks

This keen miser-fairy hath,

Hid in mountains, woods, and rocks,

And where the cormorants build;

From times of old

Guarded by him;

Each of them fill'd

Full to the brim

With gold!



I caught him at work one day, myself,

In the castle-ditch where foxglove grows,-

A wrinkled, wizen'd, and bearded Elf,

Spectacles stuck on his pointed nose,

Silver buckles to his hose,

Leather apron-shoe in his lap-

"Rip-rap, tip-tap,

Tack-tack-too!

(A green cricket on my cap!

Away the moth flew!)

Buskins for a fairy prince,

Brogues for his son,-

Pay me well, pay me well,

When the job is done!"

The rogue was mine, beyond a doubt.

I stared at him, he stared at me;

"Servant, Sir!" "Humph!" says he,

And pull'd a snuff-box out.

He took a long pinch, look'd better pleased,

The queer little Leprechaun;

Offer'd the box with a whimsical grace,

Pouf! he flung the dust in my face,

And, while I sneezed,

Was gone!

    Poetry of Fables, Fairies, and Fauna Fables, Fairies, and Fauna    

Lesson 35: The Leprechaun or the Fairy Shoemaker

by William Allingham

Performer: Librivox - Rosslyn Carlyle

Directions

Study the poem for one week.

Over the week:

  • Read or listen to the poem.
  • Review the synopsis.
  • Complete the enrichment activities.
  • Study the review questions.

Synopsis

The narrator asks us whether we have heard the hammer of the Elfin shoemaker working up on the mound. The narrator advises if you capture the shoemaker you may use him to make yourself rich. The narrator saw him once, but before he could capture him the shoemaker threw snuff in his face and disappeared.

Vocabulary

Rath: A usually circular earthwork serving as stronghold and residence of an ancient Irish chief (archaic) (www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rath).
Plaintive: Sounding sad and mournful.
Sultry: Hot and humid.
Scarlet: A brilliant red color.
Clamor: A loud and confused noise.
Plies: Work steadily at (one's business or trade); conduct.
Span: The width of a person's hand, as measured from the tip of the thumb to the tip of the little finger, when the fingers and thumb are spread out.
Sup: Eat supper.
Duchess: A woman holding a rank equivalent to duke (highest hereditary title) by marriage or in her own right.
Stitch: A loop of thread or yarn resulting from a single pass or movement of the needle in sewing, knitting, or crocheting.
Crock: An earthenware pot or jar.
Miser: A person who hoards wealth and spends as little money as possible.
Cormorant: A large diving bird with a long neck, long hooked bill, short legs, and mainly dark plumage.
Foxglove: A tall plant with erect spikes of flowers, typically pinkish-purple or white, shaped like the fingers of gloves.
Hose: Stockings, socks, and tights.
Buskin: A calf-high or knee-high boot of cloth or leather.
Brogue: A strong outdoor shoe with ornamental perforated patterns in the leather.
Whimsical: Playfully quaint or fanciful, especially in an appealing and amusing way.

Enrichment

Activity 1: Recite the Title, the Poet's Name, and the Poem

  • Each day this week, recite aloud the title of the poem, the name of the poet, and the poem. Instructors may need to prompt children line-by-line.

Activity 2: Study the Poem's Companion Painting

  • Study the painting below, and describe it in your own words.

Find the following in the companion painting:

  • Dog
  • Cello
  • Cello Bow
  • Foot Measuring Device
  • Gun
  • Violin
  • Violin Case on the Wall
  • Coat Hanging from a Door
  • Books
  • Chairs
  • Lid for Small Container

Activity 3: Narrate the Poem

  • After reading or listening to each verse of the poem, narrate the verse events aloud using your own words.

Activity 4: Color the Poem   

  • Click the crayon above, and complete page 38 of 'Poetry Coloring Pages for First Grade.'

Review

Question 1

What is the title of the poem?
1 / 3

Answer 1

The title of the poem is 'The Leprechaun or the Fairy Shoemaker.'
1 / 3

Question 2

What happens in the poem?
2 / 3

Answer 2

The narrator asks us whether we have heard the hammer of the Elfin shoemaker working up on the mound. The narrator advises if you capture the shoemaker you may use him to make yourself rich. The narrator saw him once, but before he could capture him the shoemaker disappeared.
2 / 3

Question 3

Who are the characters in the poem?
3 / 3

Answer 3

The narrator and the shoemaker.
3 / 3

  1. What is the title of the poem? The title of the poem is 'The Leprechaun or the Fairy Shoemaker.'
  2. What happens in the poem? The narrator asks us whether we have heard the hammer of the Elfin shoemaker working up on the mound. The narrator advises if you capture the shoemaker you may use him to make yourself rich. The narrator saw him once, but before he could capture him the shoemaker disappeared.
  3. Who are the characters in the poem? The narrator and the shoemaker.