- Downloads
- Under 100
- Pages
- 15
About this book
On a frosty Halloween night, the Holt family gathers around its farmhouse hearth while Sir Bertram Morven sits in the castle above the valley. George Francis Dawson tells their story in verse, setting prayers, food and fireside talk beside an uneasy belief in spirits and signs. Ada Holt sings of love between a knight and a cottage maiden, while Bertram wrestles with his feelings for her and remembers a troubling prediction from old Elpsie.
Love charms give the poem much of its movement: apple peel, nuts, seeds and the promise of a future husband's image in a well. Elpsie's chant adds a family curse, and Ada's walk through the dark turns familiar countryside into a place of suspense. Readers interested in Halloween folklore can follow these customs within a romance shaped by differences in social rank. The changing firelight, moonlit trees and sudden sounds make the verse especially attentive to the atmosphere of the night.
More from this genre
See all- B Bulchevy's Book of English VerseBulchevy's Book of English Verse
- S Songs at the StartSongs at the Start
- M Mother Goose for Grown-upsMother Goose for Grown-ups
- T Twilight StoriesTwilight Stories
- H Helen of Troy, and Other PoemsHelen of Troy, and Other Poems
- B Ballads of a BohemianBallads of a Bohemian
Books like this one
Discussion
No comments yet. Share a thought, a question or a favourite passage.
Copyright concern? Read our DMCA policy
Read or download
Public domain book This work is in the public domain and free of copyright. Anyone may read, download and share it.
- EPUB 16 KB
-
KINDLE Send to Kindle Send
- Download the EPUB file to this device.
- Open Amazon's Send to Kindle page, sign in, and add the file. Open Send to Kindle (opens in a new tab)
On a phone: open the downloaded EPUB and share it to the Kindle app.
You can also email the file to your Kindle address (it ends in @kindle.com) from an email address you approved in your Amazon account.
- PDF 108 KB
Downloads start right away. How to open EPUB on your phone
Book facts
- Author
- George Francis Dawson
- Reading time
- About 20 minutes
- Pages
- 15
- Language
- English
- Genre
- Poetry
- Formats
- PDF, EPUB, Read online