The Song Of The Spindle Berry Fairy

See the rosy-berried Spindle

All to sunset colours turning,

Till the thicket seems to kindle

Just as though the trees were burning.

The Spindle Berry is a shrub-like tree native to

Great Britain and is known for its unusual, if mildly

toxic, bright rosy orange berries.

While my berries split and show

Orange-coloured seeds aglow,

One by one my leaves must fall:

Soon the wind will take them all.

Soon must fairies shut their eyes

For the Winter's hushabies;

But, before the Autumn goes,

Spindle turns to flame and rose!

"The Song Of The Spindle Berry Fairy"

Poem and Illustration by 

Cecily Mary Barker

(1895-1973)

English artist and poet

Official portrait painter of the English flower fairies