THE HAG.
by Robert Herrick


      THE hag is astride
      This night for to ride,
The devil and she together ;
      Through thick and through thin,
      Now out and then in,
Though ne'er so foul be the weather.

      A thorn or a burr
      She takes for a spur,
With a lash of a bramble she rides now ;
      Through brakes and through briars,
      O'er ditches and mires,
She follows the spirit that guides now.

      No beast for his food
      Dare now range the wood,
But hush'd in his lair he lies lurking ;
      While mischiefs, by these,
      On land and on seas,
At noon of night are a-working.

      The storm will arise
      And trouble the skies ;
This night, and more for the wonder,
      The ghost from the tomb
      Affrighted shall come,
Call'd out by the clap of the thunder.



Source:
Herrick, Robert. Works of Robert Herrick. vol II.
Alfred Pollard, ed.
London, Lawrence & Bullen, 1891. 27-28.


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