A lily maid there was, and fair,
She wore white flowers in her hair,
But they 'came tangled in the tresses
And spread pollen o'er her dresses
That lay dirtied on the floor,
And as she swept out through the door
A loosened nail caught on her hem
And made a tear she could not mend.
She changed into a flowing gown
Of whitest silk that fell around
Her feet, and on the end she trod
And fell face down upon the sod.
When she rose she'd scraped her palm
But still she turned to face the dawn
And feel the wind rush through her hair
And wait until her knight was there,
But wind blew petals far away
And brought in storm clouds dark and gray.
Soon the sky let loose the hail
And the wind became a gale,
So she rushed home through pelting rain,
Her gown now muddy from the lane
And cried until she could no more,
Her knight had not come through the storm
For once again the dream had failed:
Reality ruined the fairy tale.