Week 10 Story: The East Wind and His Maiden

Lonely, solemn was the maiden,

Who in the meadow was full of longing.

She it was who loved the wind,

She it was who wished for his caresses. 

She called to him, to come to her, 

To gently dance with her upon the grasses.

Champion of the sun, prince of the skies, 

the East wind wooed the solemn maiden. 

In the meadow, was the maiden,

With the maiden, was the wind

Gently whispered did the East wind,

Upon her dancing frame, 

Words of love and light and soft kisses. 

For alone in the sky was the wind, 

Upon the soft grasses was his heart,

Held in the fists of the solemn maiden. 

Known to the East wind were his duties,

To raise the sun and herd the clouds. 

Yet every morning, he gazed at the earth, 

In the light of the carried sun she shown, 

His lovely, lonely, dancing maiden. 

Lest he forgo his task to raise the sun, 

To tickle the grass, and cool the Earth, 

The East Wind could not leave the skies, 

To find his maiden and kiss her sweet face.

He wished to steal glances at her blue eyes, 

Two lakes among the grasses. Sent to her,

Were his whispers to wait among the rushes. 

Sung to the wind, were songs of the maiden.

Of love and sorrow, for the wind she longed. 

Slept she on the soft grasses of the meadow,

Slept he on the white clouds of heaven. 

Night after day, day after night, 

Parted lovers held the hearts of one another, 

With cries, she begged for a dance once more. 

Heart too heavy to dance alone. 

Gentlest whispers, softest touches,

The East Wind went to his broken maiden. 

Picked her up, and kissed her brow. 

Apart, the wind could not bear.

He pleaded to the Father Sky, 

To find her a place among them.

Consented did he, for the great Father Sky,

Saw the love in his son's eyes. 

She it was who was loved by the wind,

That she was made his queen among the stars.

Broken by their solitude,

Healed by love's restoration. 

She and he danced among the skies.

Shared their bed among the clouds,

Never to part forevermore, 

Long lasted love weathered the storm. 

Author's Note: I wrote this story to replicate Longfellow's poetic style in The Song of Hiawatha. This poem is a longer, more detailed version of the short tale of the East Wind and his lover written about in the Four Winds. Longfellow intended his poem to follow the rhythmic chants of Native American tribes. The stanza pattern is generally 8-8-12-8-8 in this epic poem, but there is a lot of variation within the story. 

The Song of Hiawatha: Indian Maiden Illustration by Harrison Fischer