{
 "id": "james-mcintyre/halloween",
 "title": "Halloween",
 "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": null,
 "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": 34,
  "n_stanzas": 1,
  "n_parts": 0,
  "longest_line_chars": 37,
  "max_indent": 0
 },
 "site_ready": true,
 "parts": [],
 "stanzas": [
  [
   {
    "text": "A tale we’ll tell of what hath been",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "When maids and youths kept Halloween,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "It is a tale of old world lore",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "What happened in the days of yore,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "When fairies danced upon the green",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "So merrily on Halloween,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "And witches did play many a trick",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Assisted by their auld friend Nick,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "And lovers meet around the fire",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Near to the one their hearts desire,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "For to burn nuts for to discover",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "The truthfulness of their lover.",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "They first did give each nut a name,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "This was Sandy, that was Jane.",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "If they did blaze side by side,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "She knew her husband, he his bride,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "But if one up the chimney flew,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "One knew the other was not true.",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "And one sure test did never fail,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Blindfold to find good stock of kale,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "To pull the first comes to the hand",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "With heavy roots of earth and sand,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "For the very weight of mould",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Does denote weight of lovers gold.",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "In tubs children love to splatter,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Ducking for apples in the water,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "For such were the delights of yore,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Which soon will cease for evermore;",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "At Balmoral Castle Britain’s Queen",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Oft’ celebrated Halloween,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "But Highland landlords now do clear",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Land of men to make room for deer,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "But here upon Canadian soil",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "A man may own where he doth toil.",
    "indent": 0
   }
  ]
 ]
}