Maiden And Weathercock

By Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Maiden

O weathercock on the village spire,
With your golden feathers all on fire,
Tell me, what can you see from your perch
Above there over the tower of the Church?

Weathercock

I can see the roofs and the streets below,
And the people moving to and fro,
And beyond, without either roof or street,
The great salt sea and the fishermen's fleet.

I can see a ship come sailing in
Beyond the headlands and harbour of Lynn,
And a young man standing on the deck,
With a silken kerchief round his neck.

Now he is pressing it to his lips,
And now he is kissing his finger tips,
And now he is lifting and waving his hand
And blowing the kisses toward the land.

Maiden

Ah, that is the ship from over the sea
That is bringing my lover back to me,
Bringing my lover so fond and true,
Who does not change with the wind like you.

Weathercock

If I change with all the winds that blow,
It is only because they made me so;
And people would think it wondrous strange
If I, a weathercock, should not change.

O pretty maiden so fine and fair,
With your dreamy eyes and your golden hair,
When you and your lover meet to-day,
You will thank me for looking some other way.