The pied piper of Hamelin

THE PIED PIPERS
OBE^T OF HA ME LIN

V^1 I /-M v l L L l l X

BROWNING

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THE
PIED PIPER

OF

HAMELIN

THE PIED PIPER

H A M E L I N

uv

ROUKRT BROWNING

II.I.USTRATKD BY

KATE GREEN A WAY

LONDON

FREDERICK WARNE AND CO., LTD.

AND NEW YO R K

I'KIN 1 El-' I . <,Kt.* I

THE PIED PIPER OF HAMELIN.

HAMELIN Town's in Brunswick,

By famous Hanover city ;

The river \Yeser, deep and wide,
Washes its wall on the southern side ;
A pleasanter spot you never spied ;

But, when begins my ditty,

Almost five hundred years ago,
To see the townsfolk suffer so
From vermin, was a pity.

II.

Rats !

They fought the clogs and killed the cats,
And bit the babies in the cradles,

And ate1 the cheeses out of the vats.

And licked the soup from the cook's own ladles,

Split open the kegs of salted sprats,
Made nests inside men's Sunday hats,

And even spoiled the women's chats,

Bv druwniny their speaking
\Vith shrieking- and squeakms.;
In fifty different sharps and flats.

S

At last the people in a body

To the Town Hall came Hocking :

" Tis clear," cried they, "our Mayor's a noddy ,
" And as for our Corporation — shocking

THK PIED PIPER OF HAM KLIN

" To think we buy gowns lined with ermine

" For dolts that can't or won't determine

" What's best to rid us of our vermin !

" You hope, because you're old and obese,

" To find in the furry civic robe ease ?

" Rouse up, sirs ! Give your brains a racking

" To find the remedy we're lacking,

" Or, sure as fate, we'll send you packing !

At this the Mayor and Corporation

Quaked with a mighty consternation.

IV.

An hour they sate in council,

At length the Mayor broke silence :
" For a guilder I'd my ermine gown sell ;

" I wish I wen- a mile hence!
" It's easy to bid one rack one's brain —
" I'm sure my poor head aches again,
" I've scratched it so, and all in vain.
"Oh for a trap, a trap, a trap ! "
Just as he said this, what should hap
At the chamber door but a gentle tap ?
" Bless us," cried the Mayor, " what's that ?"
(With the Corporation as he sat,
Looking little though wondrous fat ;
Nor brighter was his eye, nor moister
Than a too-long-opened oyster,
Save when at noon his paunch grew mutinous
Fur a plate of turtle green and glutinous)
" Only a scraping of shoes on the mat ?
" Anything like the sound of a rat
" Makes my heart go pit-a-pat!"

THE PIED PIPER OF HAM KLIN.
V.

" Come in ! " — the Mayor cried, looking bigger :
And in did come the strangest figure !
His queer long coat from heel to head
Was half of yellow and half of red,
And he himself was tall and thin,
With sharp blue eyes, each like a pin,
And light loose hair, yet swarthy skin
No tuft on cheek nor beard on chin,
But lips where smiles went out and in ;
There was no guessing his kith and kin :
And nobody could enough admire
The tall man and his quaint attire.
Quoth one : " It's as my great-grandsire,
" Starting up at the Trump of Doom's tone,
" Had walked this way from his painted tomb
stone ! "

VI.

He advanced to the council-table :

And, " Please your honours," said he, " I'm able,

" By means of a secret charm, to draw

" All creatures living beneath the sun,

" That creep or swim or fly or run,

" After me so as you never saw !

"And I chiefly use my charm

" On creatures that do people harm,

" The mole and toad and newt and viper ;

" And people call me the Pied Piper."

(And here they noticed round his neck

A scarf of red and yellow stripe,

To match with his coat of the self-same cheque ;

And <it the scarf's end huny a pipe ;

And his Finders they noticed were ever straying

As if impatient to be playing

Upon this pipe, as low it dandled

Over his vesture so old-fangled.)

"Yet," said he, "poor Piper as I am,
"In Tartary I freed the Cham,
" Last June, from his huge swarms of gnats,
" I eased in Asia the Nizam
" Of a monstrous brood of vampyre-bats :
' And as for what your brain bewilders,
" If I can rid your town of rats
" Will you give me a thousand guilders ?"
" One ? fifty thousand ! " — was the exclamation
Of the astonished Mayor and Corporation.

16

VII.

Into the street the Piper stept,

Smiling first a little smile,
As if he knew what magic slept

In his quiet pipe the while ;
Then, like a musical adept,
To blow the pipe his lips he wrinkled,
And green and blue his sharp eyes twinkled,
Like a candle-flame where salt is sprinkled ;
And ere three shrill notes the pipe uttered,
You heard as if an army muttered ;

And the muttering grew to a grumbling ;
And the grumbling grew to a mighty rumbling;
And out of the houses the rats came tumbling.
Great rats, small rats, lean rats, brawny rats,
Brown rats, black rats, grey rats, tawny rats,
Grave old plodders, gay young friskers,

IS

THE PIED PIPER OF HAMELIN.

Fathers, mothers, uncles, cousins,
Cocking tails and pricking whiskers,

Families by tens and dozens,
Brothers, sisters, husbands, wives —
Followed the Piper for their lives.
From street to street he piped advancing,
And step for step they followed dancing,
Until they came to the river Weser
Wherein all plunged and perished!
— Save one who, stout as Julius Caesar,
Swam across and lived to carry
(As he, the manuscript he cherished)
To Rat-land home his commentary :
Which was, " At the first shrill notes of the pipe,
" 1 heard a sound as of scraping tripe,
" And putting apples, wondrous ripe,
" Into a rider press's gripe :
" And a moving away of pickle-tub-boards,
"And a leaving ajar of conserve-cupboards,
" And a drawing the corks of train-oil-flasks,
" And a breaking the hoops of butter-casks :
" And it seemed as if a voice
" (Sweeter far than by harp or by psaltery
" Is breathed) called out, ' Oh rats, rejoice !
" ' The world is grown to one vast drysaltery !
" ' So munch on, crunch on, take your nuncheon,
" ' Breakfast, supper, dinner, luncheon !'
" And just as a bulky sugar-puncheon,
"All ready staved, like a great sun shone
" Glorious scarce an inch before me,
" Just as methought it said, ' Come, bore me !'
" — I found the Weser rolling o'er me."

IQ

VIII.

You should have heard the Hameiin people
Ringing the bells till they rocked the steeple.
" Go," cried the Mayor, " and get long poles,
" Poke out the nests and block up the holes!

" Consult with carpenters and builders,
"And leave in our town not even a trace
' Of the rats !" — when suddenly, up the face
Of the Piper perked in the market-place,
With a, " First, if you please, my thousand guilders !'

THE PIED PIPER OF HAMELIN

IX.

A thousand guilders ! The Mayor looked blue ;

So did the Corporation too.

For council dinners made rare havoc

With Claret, Moselle, Vin-de-Grave, Hock ;

And half the money would replenish

Their cellar's biggest butt with Rhenish.

To pay this sum to a wandering fellow

With a gipsy coat of red and yellow !

" Beside," quoth the Mayor with a knowing wink.

" Our business was done at the river's brink ;

" \Ve saw with our eyes the vermin sink,

" And what's dead can't come to life, I think.

" So, friend, we're not the folks to shrink

" From the duty of giving you something to drink,

" And a matter of money to put in your poke ;

" But as for the guilders, what we spoke

" Of them, as you very well know, was in joke.

" Beside, our losses have made us thrifty.

" A thousand guilders ! Come, take fifty !"

22

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THE PIED PIPER OF HAMELIN.

X.

The Piper's face fell, and he cried,
" No trifling ! I can't wait, beside !
" I've promised to visit by dinner-time
" Bagdad, and accept the prime

" Of the Head-Cook's pottage, all he's rich in,
" For having left, in the Caliph's kitchen,
" Of a nest of scorpions no survivor :
" \\ ith him I proved no bargain-driver,
"With you, don't think I'll bate a stiver!
" And folks who put me in a passion
' May find me pipe after another fashion."

XI.

" How?" cried the Mayor, " d' ye think I brook
" Being worse treated than a Cook ?
" Insulted by a lazy ribald
"With idle pipe and vesture piebald ?
' You threaten us, fellow ? Do your worst,
" Blow your pipe there till you burst !"

24

..

XII.

Once more he slept into the street,

And to his lips again
Laid His IOIIM pipe of smooth straight cane ;

And civ he blew three notes

26

(such swee:

Soft notes as yet musician's cunning
Never gave the enraptured air)

There was a rustling,

2S

that seemed like a bustling

Of merry crowds justling at pitching and hustling,

Small feet were pattering, wooden shoes clattering,

Little hands clapping and little tongues chattering,

And, like foivls in ,i farm-yard when barley is scattering,

53

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Out came the children running.

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All the little boys and girls,

\Yiih rosy rlu-fks and ilaxfii curls,

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sparkliiiL; eyes and tectli like pearls.

Tripping

and skipping,

39

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The wonderful music with shouting and laughter.

XIII.

The Mayor was dumb, and the Council stood
As if they were changed into blocks of wood,
Unable to move a step, or cry
To the children merrily skipping by.

THE PIED PIPER OF HAMELIN.

— Could only follow with the eye

That joyous crowd at the Piper's back.

But how the Mayor was on the rack,

And the wretched Council's bosoms beat,

As the Piper turned from the High Street

To where the Weser rolled its waters

Right in the way of their sons and daughters !

However he turned from South to West,

And to Koppelberg Hill his steps addressed,

And after him the children pressed ;

Great was the joy in every breast.

" He never can cross that mighty top !

" He's forced to let the piping drop,

" And we shall see our children stop !"

When, l.>,as they reached the mountain-side,

A wondrous portal opened wide,

As if a cavern was suddenly hollowed;

And the Piper advanced and the children followed,

And when all were in to the very last,

The door in the mountain-side shut fast.

Did I say, all ? No! One was lame,

And could not dance the whole of the way ;

And in after years, if you would blame

His sadness, he was used to say,—

" It's dull in our town since my playmates left!

" 1 can't forget that I'm bereft

"Of all the pleasant sights they see,

" Which the Piper also promised me.

" For he led us, he said, to a joyous land,

" Joining the town and just at hand,

43

44

THE PIED PIPER OF HAMF.LIN.

" Where waters gushed and fruit-trees grew,

" And flowers put forth a fairer hue,

" And everything was strange and new ;

" The sparrows were brighter than peacocks here,

" And their dogs outran our fallow deer,

" And honey-bees had lost their stings,

" And horses were born with eagles' wings:

" And just as I became assured

" My lame foot would be speedily cured,

" The music stopped and I stood still,

" And found myself outside the hill,

" Left alone against my will,

" To go now limping as before,

" And never hear of that country more!'

XIV.

Alas, alas for Hamelin !

There came into many a burgher's pate

A text which says that Heaven's gate

Opes to the rich at as easy rate
As the needle's eye takes a camel in !
The Mayor sent East, West, North, and South,
To offer the Piper, by word of mouth,

Wherever it was men's lot to find him,
Silver and gold to his heart's content,
If he'd only return the way he went,

And bring the children behind him.
But when they saw 'twas a lost endeavour,
And Piper and dancers were gone for ever,
They made a decree that lawyers never

45

THE PIED PIPER OF HAMELIN.

Should think their records dated duly
If, after the day of the month and year,
These words did not as well appear,
" And so long after what happened here

" On the Twenty-second of July,
" Thirteen hundred and seventy-six :"
And the better in memory to fix
The place of the children's last retreat,
They called it, the Pied Piper's Street —
Where any one playing on pipe or tabor,
Was sure for the future to lose his labour.
Nor suffered they hostelry or tavern

To shock with mirth a street so solemn ;
But opposite the place of the cavern

They wrote the story on a column,
And on the great church-window painted
The same, to make the world acquainted
How their children were stolen away,
And there it stands to this very day.
And I must not omit to say
That in Transylvania there's a tribe
Of alien people that ascribe
The outlandish ways and dress
On which their neighbours lay such stress,
To their fathers and mothers having risen
Out of some subterraneous prison
Into which they were trepanned
Long time ago in a mighty band
Out of Hamelin town in Brunswick land,
But how or why, they don't understand.

46

XV.

So, Willy, let me and you be wipers

Of scores out with all men — especially pipers!

And, whether they pipe us free from rats or

from mice,
If we've promised them aught, let us keep our

promise !

47

KM.K AV,.|. AND J-RINTKD

BY

EDMUND EVANS, LTD.

ROsK PLACE, GLOBE KOAD

LONDON, £. I.

KATE GREENAVVAY'S
PICTURE BOOKS

Amongst the best illustrated books for
children must be classed the delightful
volumes by Kate Greenaway, whose
charming drawings of sweet little children
in costumes such as only this artist could
create, have been famous tor many years.

A Selected List of Titles.

Under the Window.

Pictures &. Rhymes for Children

Marigold Garden.

Pictures cSi Rhymes.

The Pied Piper
of Hamelin.

A Apple Pie.
Language of Flowers.

Mother Goose : or, The Old
Nursery Rhymes.

Kate Greenaway's Birthday
Book.

With Verses by Mrs. Sale Barker.

Frederick Warne &. Co. Ltd
London and New York.

COVER BOOK SYSTEM

THE PIED PI'PER

ROBER.T

DOWNING

OF HAMELIN