A man awaits deep in the woods,
Or so the minstrels sing,
A soul so fair of deed and sight,
His laughter like the spring.

The Elfin Lord of elder boughs,
Upon his brow a crown.
With an opened hall, he welcomes all
Who stray out from the town.

Never’s a heart so bonny been
Nor a finer host but layne,
Yet keep a wary tongue and eye,
And give him not your name.

Take not his meat; take not his drink;
Lie on no feather bed.
In the black of night, hide out of sight
When y’hear the horses tread.

For ‘pon the road out to the town
A great host gathers there,
Fain and stamping for to hunt,
With eyes alight and gare.

The fae, the fae, so fair of face,
Upon their fleet-foot steeds,
They ride, they ride, ‘neath blackened skies,
All racing with fell speed.

And at their head, a beast there led
As a fearsome forest stag.
With unearthly grace and an ill-far’d face
And a coat of fur he’s clad.

The Elfin Lord of elder boughs,
His antlers like a crown;
‘Tis a hunter bold in feral mold,
Amongst his hawks and hounds.

Shod feet thunder, bridles ring,
And horns they gaily blow.
But where they make on merry chase,
No earthly eyes may know.

The fae, the fae, so fair of face,
Each one arrayed in green,
They ride, they ride, ‘neath blackened skies,
All laughing, mad and keen.

And woe betide your ill-fate eyes
Who look upon that host,
For though no game be catch’d nor slain,
Still they’ve prise to boast.

Through darkened trees and shuttered towns
Fly the hunt all in their file,
Across the ways and wooded braes,
All raving wuid and wild.

‘Til ‘pon the road out from the town
The green host goes again.
Fain from the frenzied hunters’ ride,
Back to their lands they wend.

Yet in the woods, a beast there waits,
Or so the minstrels tell,
A faerie of such wicked might,
Methinks he comes from hell.

[Jackson Weller resides in that mythical land of Wyoming. There, he enjoys magical stories and creeping fairytales, spurred on by studies in History. In his writing, he is fond of exploring the dark, alluring, and more curious sides of fairies and folklore, with a special interest in verse. This will be his first publication.]