Poetry Friday--Fair is Foul and Foul is Fair

In honor of Halloween --

Consider printing out a few copies and doing a reading with your co-workers or family.

I'd give them (and yourself) some time to read it over a bit before you do.

Or, you could read it out loud all by yourself.

Use your best witch's voice.
Get into it.

Deliciously disgusting --
so much fun --
and absolutely brilliant.

Drink up!


Witches Chant


ALL.
Double, double, toil and trouble;
Fire, burn; and cauldron, bubble.

SECOND WITCH.
Fillet of a fenny snake,
In the caldron boil and bake;
Eye of newt, and toe of frog,
Wool of bat, and tongue of dog,
Adder's fork, and blind-worm's sting,
Lizard's leg, and howlet's wing,--
For a charm of powerful trouble,
Like a hell-broth boil and bubble.

ALL.
Double, double, toil and trouble;
Fire, burn; and caldron, bubble.

THIRD WITCH.
Scale of dragon, tooth of wolf,
Witch's mummy, maw and gulf
Of the ravin'd salt-sea shark,
Root of hemlock digg'd i' the dark,
Liver of blaspheming Jew,
Gall of goat, and slips of yew
Sliver'd in the moon's eclipse,
Nose of Turk, and Tartar's lips,
Finger of birth-strangl'd babe
Ditch-deliver'd by a drab,--
Make the gruel thick and slab:
Add thereto a tiger's chaudron,
For the ingredients of our caldron.

ALL.
Double, double, toil and trouble;
Fire, burn; and caldron, bubble.

SECOND WITCH.
Cool it with a baboon's blood,
Then the charm is firm and good.

-- William Shakespeare
MacBeth



For a bit about the history of Halloween (the Celtic new year called Samhain -- pronounced Sow-in by most modern-day speakers) see Halloween History.



--Janet

Note: This week's Poetry Friday Round-Up is at Poetry for Children--put your hand in the bag and pick a poetry treat!