The Fairies Have Never a Penny to Spend

The fairies have never a penny to spend,

They haven't a thing put by,

But theirs is the dower of bird and flower

And theirs is the earth and sky.

And though you should live in a palace of gold

Or sleep in a dried up ditch,

You could never be as poor as the fairies are,

And never be as rich.

Since ever and ever the world began

They danced like a ribbon of flame,

They have sung their song through the centuries long,

And yet it is never the same.

And though you be foolish or though you be wise,

With hair of silver or gold,

You can never be as young as the fairies are,

And never be as old.