The Magic Wood

I meant to post this months ago...

The Magic Wood

Henry Treece

painting by Barry Moser 1992

We've found that summer nights can be dark and mysterious and even a little bit scary.  Anyone familiar with the erlking folk tales will recognize his spirit in this poem by Henry Treece (first published in 1945).  I love to read the repeating refrain:

The wood is full of shining eyes,
The wood is full of creeping feet,
The wood is full of tiny cries:
You must not go to the wood at night!

I met a man with eyes of glass

And a finger as curled as the wriggling worm,

And hair all red with rotting leaves,

And a stick that hissed like a summer snake.

He made me a penny out of a stone,

And showed me the way to catch a lark

With a straw and a nut and a whispered word

 And a pennorth of ginger wrapped up in a leaf.

The illustrations and wording may be a bit sinister for younger folks.  I've read it to Charlotte a few times and she actually requested it the other night.  She called it the "scary night" book.