{
 "id": "james-mcintyre/fairy-tale",
 "title": "Fairy Tale",
 "ordinal": null,
 "subtitle": null,
 "poet": "James McIntyre",
 "poet_slug": "james-mcintyre",
 "language": "en",
 "book": "Musings on the Banks of Canadian Thames",
 "book_slug": "musings-on-the-banks-of-canadian-thames",
 "book_kind": "volume",
 "sequence": 60,
 "container": null,
 "epigraph": null,
 "first_published": {
  "year": 1884,
  "venue": "Musings on the Banks of Canadian Thames (1884)",
  "note": "First located printing is this volume; an earlier periodical printing has not been established.",
  "uncertain": false,
  "sources": [
   "https://archive.org/details/cihm_09542"
  ]
 },
 "source": {
  "kind": "standard-ebooks",
  "repo": "standardebooks/james-mcintyre_poetry",
  "file": "poetry.xhtml",
  "upstream": [
   "https://archive.org/details/cihm_09542",
   "https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/36068",
   "https://archive.org/details/cihm_11791"
  ],
  "rights": "public domain (SE dedication; underlying text pre-1931)"
 },
 "verification": {
  "level": "structural-only",
  "last_checked": "2026-08-20"
 },
 "stats": {
  "n_lines": 32,
  "n_stanzas": 2,
  "n_parts": 0,
  "longest_line_chars": 42,
  "max_indent": 0
 },
 "site_ready": true,
 "parts": [],
 "stanzas": [
  [
   {
    "text": "Where’er you find the Fisher folk",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "There, under superstitions yoke,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "For a strong faith ’mong them prevails.",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Of truth of witch and fairy tales.",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "They think that witch could hurl a shaft",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Which would o’erwhelm their fishing craft,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "For witches do with Satan truck,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "They can give good or bring bad luck;",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Fish women do their children teach",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "To bait the lines down on the beach;",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Themselves do wade in sea for net",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "So husband’s feet will not get wet,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "For the women are barefooted,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "And the men are heavy booted.",
    "indent": 0
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "In Fisher, Town of Cromarty,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "There once did meet a noisy party,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Confusion worse than Babel’s Tower,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "It did prevail for a whole hour;",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "When from sea shore wives did return",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Each one did find good cause to mourn,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "For each babe was left in cradle,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Had been changed, ’tis no fable;",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "They said ’twas fairies did them change,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "And left with them but weaklings strange.",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Old wife, to end confusion wild,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Said each must bring to her the child;",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Soon mothers they did find their dears,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "And did wipe then from eyes all tears,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "While few young men across the way",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "They glorious did enjoy the fray,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "For while the mothers were at beach",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "They changed all babes within their reach.",
    "indent": 0
   }
  ]
 ]
}