Pixie, kobold, elf, and sprite
All are on their rounds tonight,
In the wan moon's silver ray
Thrives there helter-skelter play.
Fond of cellar, barn, or stack
True unto the almanac,
They present to credulous eyes
Strange hobgoblin mysteries.
Cabbage, stumps, straws wet with dew,
Apple skins, and chestnuts too,
And a mirror for some lass
Show what wonders come to pass.
Doors they move, and gates they hide
Mischiefs that on moonbeams ride.
And their deeds, and by their spells,
Love records its oracles.
Don't we all, of long ago,
By the ruddy fireplace glow,
In the kitchen and the hall,
Those queer, coof-like pranks recall.
Eery shadows were they then,
But tonight they come again;
Were we once more but sixteen
Precious would be Hallowe'en.
Joel Benton
Harper's Weekly, October 31, 1896
Blessings dark and deep!
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