A Selection from the Lyrical Poems of Robert Herrick

42. THE HAG

     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 bur
     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,
     Dares 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.