HALLOWE’EN. (October 31st.)

I. At Hallowe’en, so calm and still, All frisky spirits are astir: The fairies haunt the vale and hill, And witch-like elves meet to confer. II. But we can well keep free from those, For by the fireside round about Sweet rosy maids meet with their beaux To spell their future fortune out. III. Chestnuts or walnuts, pair by pair, Are put upon the living coals, And if they lie contented there They represent two happy souls. IV. Some eat an apple, while they stare Within the telltale looking glass: And as they eat and comb their hair The fated face is sure to pass V. Before their eyes. Some pull the kale; Some try the oats, or size the sack; Some seek the rivulet in the vale, Some hemp seed sow for answer back. VI. Ah, me! How many spells of old To tell our fortunes I have seen; No sweeter charm does memory hold, Than those past hours of Hallowe’en.