It was, it was a fairy man Who came to town to-day;"I"ll make a cake for sixpence If you will pay, will pay. "I paid him with a sixpence, And with a penny, too;He made a cake of rainbows, And baked it in the dew.
The stars he caught for raisins, The sun for candied peel,The moon he broke for spices And ground it on a wheel.
He stirred the cake with sunbeams, And mixed it faithfullyWith all the happy wishings That come to you and me.
He iced it with a moonbeam, He patterned it with play,And sprinkled it with star dust From off the Milky Way.
He put it in a pearl shell, Oh, white it was and new!
He took the cake of rainbows And baked it in the dew.
- Mary Gilmore
Author.-Mrs. Mary Gilmore was born in New South Wales in 1865. Her father was Mr. Donald Cameron. She became a teacher, and afterwards went away with other Australians to South America, where she married Mr. William Gilmore. She came back to Australia, and has since written many poems and prose articles.
General Notes.-How did the fairy make the cake? How did he bakeit? How did he season it, stir it, ice it, sprinkle it, serve it?
