A Legend from the Northland
Published Thursday 17th May, 2007 by Skrik
Away, away in the Northland,
Where the hours of the day are few,
And the nights are so long in winter
That they cannot sleep them through;
Where they harness the swift reindeer
To the sledges, when it snows;
And the children look like bear’s cubs
In their funny, furry clothes:
They tell them a curious story—
I don’t believe ’tis true;
And yet you may learn a lesson
If I tell the tale to you.
Although I haven’t yet been able to find similar tales, the framed tale is of familiar European thematic, style and structure. And there appears to be only one red-capped black woodpecker that lives in the arctic: the European black woodpecker, also supporting the authenticity of the tale. I would be interested to discover how the American poet discovered it — where it comes from, and who originally collected it.
Filed under Education, Humanities, Literature
