Original Size — Medium-Size
“Far away
Shines a single ray,
But what it may be I can’t venture to say;
It looks rather far,
But since here we are
Without any voice
In the matter or choice,
Whatever the distance we ought to rejoice-
For whether the night be a melter
Or pelter-
If it’s muggy as beer or it rains helter-skelter-
We mustn’t make light of a light that means shelter!”
On went the children, still shoulder to shoulder,
As frightened as bricks, and-than stones vastly colder,
And much more alarmed, for a stone is oft bowlder!
Arm-in-arm,
In alarm,
Expecting some harm,
In a terror no words of their brother’s could charm,
They walked t’wards the light
Gleaming out through the night,
And as fearful to turn as if playing at Fright.
Through brake and through mire,
Beginning to tire,
Trudged the sorrowful sons of a sorrowful sire.
On wandered they
In pursuit of a ray
(Though girls more than boys think of dress, so they say);
Till at length at the great
Front-door, postern-gate
(Or whatever ’t was called at that very vague date),
Of a castle, or mansion, a building gigantic,
Designed on the model of dwellings romantic-
You queer little crew
Gothic, solid, and strong,
That lasts ever so long-
Not sham Gothic run up on that very bad plan, tick!
’T was terribly high;
It wearied the eye
To follow its turrets up into the sky,
How many feet.
I don’t care to repeat,-
I ‘m a bad hand at figures, of which to be sparing,
Twas as high as the Grosvenor, or Langham, or Charing. *
They none of them knew what course to pursue,
Till Hop o’ my Thumb found a horn—which he blew;
Whereon some one the bolts, bars, and fastenings withdrew,
And came out with a light
Very vivid and bright,
On the top of the steps at the head of the flight,
And they saw, to their joy,
Not a man—nor a boy-
But one of a sex for which terms we employ
Of a tenderer sort;
In short, one to court-
“In short”? Not at all—but a tall one, in short!
For she was a giantess, being in figure
Than Chang the tremendous, An-actually bigger.