Guided Sleep Meditation & Sleep Hypnosis from Sleep Cove - Bedtime Stories: The Legends of Autumn & Fall

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Starting point is 00:00:46 please go to sleepcove.com slash support. That's sleepcove.com slash support. If you can't support the show right now, please subscribe with the bell to get alerts on all new free content thank you have you ever gazed in wonder at the great pyramid have you marvelled at the golden face of Tudankhamun

Starting point is 00:01:16 or admired the delicate features of Queen Nefertiti if you have you'll probably like the History of Egypt podcast every week we explore tales of this ancient culture The history of Egypt is available wherever you get your podcasting fix. Come, let me introduce you to the world of ancient Egypt. Hello and welcome to Sleep Cove, the place to come for a great night's sleep. Please listen to this recording in a place where you can safely go to sleep. Hi everyone, we're now into autumn.

Starting point is 00:02:03 The leaves are beginning to change colour. and dropping to the floor, and the clocks are changing, and the nights are drawing in more. A couple of weeks ago, I read a Halloween tale, and tonight I'll be reading some Autumn stories to you, a collection of folk tales and fairy tales. I really hope you enjoy it. Prince on the top of the hills in the west stood the Prince of Autumn, and surveyed the land with his serious eyes. His hair and beard was dashed with grey, and there were wrinkles on his forehead.

Starting point is 00:02:54 But he was good to look at, still and straight and strong. His splendid cloak gleamed red and green, and brown and yellow, and flat in the wind. In his hand he held, a horn, sadly, and took a while, and listened to the fighting and the singing and the cries. Then he raised his head, put the horn to his mouth, and blew a lusty flourish. Summer goes his all-prospering way. Autumn's horn is calling, Heather dresses the brown hill clay, winds whip crackling across the bay

Starting point is 00:03:46 leaves in the grove keep falling all the trees of the forest shook from root to top themselves not knowing why all the birds fell silent together the stag in the glade raised his antlers in surprise and listened The poppy's scarlet battles flew before the wind but high on the mountains and on the bare hills

Starting point is 00:04:20 and low down in the bog the heather burst forth and blazed purple and glorious in the sun and the bees flew from the faded flowers of the meadow and hid themselves to his mouth they came and blue. Autumn lords it with banners bright,

Starting point is 00:04:51 of garish leaves held over them, quelling summer's eternal fight, heralding winter, wild and white, while the blithe little birds flee before him. The prince of summer stopped where he stood in the valley and raised his eyes to the hills, in the west. The Prince of Autumn took the horn from his mouth. Welcome, said Summer. He took a step towards him, and no more, as befits one who is the greater. But the Prince of

Starting point is 00:05:39 Autumn came down over the hills and again bowed low. They walked through the valley, hand in hand, so radiant was summer, that wherever they passed, none was aware of autumn's presence. The notes of his horn tied away in the air, and one and all recovered from the shudder that had passed over the, the trees and birds and flowers came to themselves again, and whispered and sang and flutter. The river flowed, the rushes murmured. The bees continued their summer business in the heather. Wherever the princess stopped their progress through the valley, it came about to that the foliage turned yellow on the side where autumn was.

Starting point is 00:06:45 A little leaf and fluttered away and dropped at his feet. The nightingale ceased singing, though it was even tide. The cuckoo was silent and flapped restlessly through the woods. The stork stretched himself in his nest and looked towards the south. But the princess took no heed. Welcome, said Summer again. Do you remember your promise? I remember, answered Autumn.

Starting point is 00:07:28 Then the Prince of Summer stopped and looked over the kingdom, where the noise was gradually subsiding. Do you hear them, he said. How do you take that into your gentle keeping? I shall bring your produce home, said Autumn. I shall watch carefully over them that dream. I shall cover up lovingly them that are to sleep in the mould and thrice of winter's coming. It is well, said Summer.

Starting point is 00:08:10 They walked in silence for a while, while night came forth. The honeysuckle's petals fell when you blew your horn, said Summer. Some of my children will die at the moment when I leave the valley, but their nightingale and the cuckoo and the stalk I shall take with me. Again the two princes walked in silence. It was quite still owls hooted in the old... You must send my birds after me, said Summer. I shall not forget, replied Autumn.

Starting point is 00:08:55 Then the prince of Summer raised his hand in farewell. well in autumn, take possession of the kingdom. I shall go tonight, he said, and none will know save you. My splendour will linger in the valley for a while, and by the by, when I am far away and my reign is forgotten, the memory of me will revive once more with the sun and the pleasant days. Then he strode away in the night But from the high tree top Came the stalk on his long winds And the cuckoo fluttered out of the tall woods

Starting point is 00:09:42 And the nightingale Flew from the thicket with her full-grown young The air was filled with the soft murmurings of wings Autumn's dominion had indeed begun on the night when summer went away, where the yellow leaf here and a brown leaf there, but none had noticed it. Now it went at a quicker pace,

Starting point is 00:10:13 and as time wore on, there came even more colours and greater splendour. The lime trees turned bright and yellow, on the beach bronze, but the elder tree even blacker than it had been or rang with white bells where it used to ring with blue and the chestnut tree

Starting point is 00:10:40 blessed all the world with its five yellow fingers the mountain ash shed its leaves that all might admire its pretty berries the wild rose nodded with a hundred hips The Virginia creeper broke over the hedge in blazing frames Then autumn put his horn to his mouth and blue

Starting point is 00:11:07 The loveliest things of autumn's pack In his motley coffers' nay Red Mountains berries Hips sweet as cherries Slow's blue and black He hung upon every spray A blackbird and a thrush clattered blithely in the corpsewood, which gleamed with berries and a thousand sparrows kept them company, ran from one to the other,

Starting point is 00:11:42 and puffed and panted to wed to the fun. High up in the sky, the sun looked gently down a little prince of autumn, nodded contentedly, and let his motley cloak flap in the wind. I am the least important of the four seasons, and I am scarcely ruled in my own land, he said, I serve two jealous masters and have to please them both, but my power extends so far that I can give you a few glad days. Then he put his horn to his mouth And blue

Starting point is 00:12:27 To the valley Revelers high They are clad in autumnal fancy dresses They are weary Of green and faded dresses Summer has vanished Winter is nigh Hay foal de roll

Starting point is 00:12:45 Day for autumn But the night after this happened There was tremendous disturbance up on the mountain peaks, where the eternal snows had lain both in spring's time and summers. It sounded like a storm approaching. The trees grew frightened, the crows were silent, the wind held its breath. Prince Autumn bent forward and I listened. Is that the worst you can do?

Starting point is 00:13:24 shouted a hoarse voice through the darkness, and raised his head and knocked into Winter's great cold eyes. Have you forgotten the bargain? asked Winter. No, replied Autumn, I have not forgotten it. Have a care, shouted Winter. The whole night through, it rumbled and tumbled in the mountains. It turned so bitter. cold that the Starling thought seriously of packing up. The distant peaks glittered with new snow. Prince of autumn laughed no more. He looked out earnestly over the land and the wrinkles in his forehead

Starting point is 00:14:20 grew deeper. It must be so then, he said. When he blew his horn, his horn, his horn blew a lusty chime. For the second time, for the second time, heed well the call complying, fling seed to earth and feel sacksful girth, plumped back and side pad belt and hide, hide or wings close for flying. Then suddenly a terrible bustle arose in the land, and now they all understood, quick, said autumn.

Starting point is 00:15:03 The poppy and the bellflower and the pink stood thin and dry as sticks with a head's full of seeds. The dandelion had presented each of his seeds with a sweet little parachute. Come dear wind and shake us, said the poppy. Fly away with my seeds wind, said the dundilion hastened to do as they asked. But the beach cunningly dropped his shaggy. fruit onto the hair's fur, also on his red coat. The little brown mice filled their parlours from floor to scening with nuts and beachmast and acorns. The hedgehog had already eaten of himself so fat that he could hardly lower his quills, and fox and stag put on clean white wooden things

Starting point is 00:16:07 under their coats. The starling and the thrush and the blackbird. saw to their downy clothing and exercised their wings for the long journey and hid himself behind the clouds and did not appear for many days. It began to rain. The wind quickened its pace. It dashed the rain over the meadow, whipped the river into foam and whistled through the trunks in the forest. Now the song is finished, said the Prince of Autumn, then he put his horn to his mouth and blue. Autumn's horn blew a lusty chime. For the last time, for the last time. Ways close where need is sorest. Land birds fly clear, plunge flocks in mere.

Starting point is 00:17:11 Be lock your layer. Take shelter bare full last leaf in the land. the forest and then it was over. The birds flew from the land in flocks, the starling and the lap wind, the thrush and the black bird all migrated to the south. Every morning before the sun rose, the wind tore through the forest and pulled the last leaves off the trees. Every day, the wind blew stronger. It snapped great branches, swept the withered leaves together into heaps, and scattered them again,

Starting point is 00:17:59 and at last laid them like a soft, thick carpet, over the whole floor of the forest, to a heap of stones, that he remained caught between two of them, and could not move neither forwards, nor backwards, the sparrow took lodgings into a deserted swallow's nest. The frogs went to the bottom of the pond for good, settled in the mud, with the tips of their noses up in the water, and prepared for whatever might come.

Starting point is 00:18:44 The Prince of Autumn stood and gazed over the land to see if it was bare and waste so that winter's storms might come buffering at will. And the snow lie wherever it pleased. The top, the ivy that clambered right up to the top and spread her green leaves, as if winter had no existence at all. He looked at it. The ivy flowers blossomed.

Starting point is 00:19:21 They sat right at the top and rocked in the wind. Incoming, roared winter from the moon. mountains. My clouds are bursting with snow and my storms are breaking loose. I can restrain them no longer. The Prince of Autumn bent his head and listened. You could hear the storm come rushing down over the mountain. Snowflake fell. Ligorous embraces cling. Autumn winds. Translated by Hermione Deney. The field of the lady was the name which the peasants gave to her large tract of land belonging to a rich estate. The lord of the castle had given these fertile acres to his daughter

Starting point is 00:20:55 and had told her to do as she pleased with the grain which the field produced. Every year at harvest time she invited the poor peasants of the neighbourhood to come and glean in her field and take home with them as much grain as they needed for winter use. Sometimes when the cleaners were busily at work one of them would cry out joyfully. Ah, there comes the lady coming in the distance

Starting point is 00:21:33 for she always wore a simple dress of white wool and over her head was thrown a skirm. scarf of white silk, striped with many colours, she loved to come into the field while the people were at work, and to speak words of encouragement on sultry afternoon, there were many peasants gleaning in the field. The lady of the castle had been with them for several hours. Suddenly she looked up into the threatening sky and said, My friends, see what large clouds are gathering.

Starting point is 00:22:20 I'm afraid we shall have a storm before long. Let us stop cleaning for today and seek shelter. The peasants hastened away and the lady started towards the castle as she drew near the green hedge which bordered the field she saw coming towards her a beautiful young woman

Starting point is 00:22:45 and a fair child whose hand she held though little boy's golden hair fell in waves over his white tunic you came to clean said the lady of the castle in her sweet voice full of welcome come then

Starting point is 00:23:04 we'll work together for a little while before the rain falls Thank you, said the young woman. The three began to pick up the ripe ears and pile them up in sight. They had worked but a little while. However, when a gust of wind swept over the field and great rain began to fall,

Starting point is 00:23:40 said the lady of the castle, we must seek shelter. See, there near the wood, is a great oak, thick wind, let us hasten to it, and stand there until the storm is over. In a short time, they reached the tree and stood together under the shelter of its great branches. With his chubby hand, the child took hold to cover his curly head with it. I have my scarf, said the lady of the castle smiling.

Starting point is 00:24:19 She slipped it off, wrapped it tenderly around the dear child's head and shoulders, and kissed his fair yoke on the shelter of the tree to look. We're beginning to twitter in the stood still, looking at the wonderful golden night, which flooded the harvest field. And in the calm silence, there came floating through the air, the sweetest music she had ever heard.

Starting point is 00:25:07 At first it seemed far, far away. Then it came nearer and nearer, until the air was filled with harmonious voices, chatting tenderly in the purest angelic tones. She turned towards her companions, and though they had disappeared. In the distance, there was a sound like the light fluttering of wings. The lady of the castle looked towards the hedge,

Starting point is 00:25:39 where she had first seen her mysterious companions. The lovely woman rising softly and softly upon fleecy clouds, band of angels chanting a joyful Hosanna. A marvellous vision rose slowly into the clear blue of the heavens and ears of grain, and in the harvest field, the lady of the castle knelt in silent adoration, for she knew she had seen the Virgin and the Holy Child. While she worshipped in breathless silence, the heavenly choir halted,

Starting point is 00:26:38 and in clear ringing tones, the angel sang out. Blessed be thou. Blessed be the good lady who is ever ready to help the poor and unfortunate. Blessed be this field of arms. The Virgin stretched forth her hands to bless the lady and the harvest field.

Starting point is 00:27:03 At the same time, the holy child took from his head and shoulders the silk scarf which the lady had wrapped around him and gave it two rosy-winged cherubim. Away they flew, one to the right, each holding an end of the scarf which stretched as they flew into a marvellous rainbow. a rainbow arch across the blue vault of the sky. The Virgin and the Holy Child,

Starting point is 00:27:37 followed by the angelic choir, rose slowly, slowly into the sky. Softly and gently as wood breezes, the heavenly music died away, and the vision disappeared. The lady of the castle rose to her feet, More heaps of grain, gathered by the gleaners, had changed into a harvest richer than the field had ever produced before. Overall, in the sky still shone the lovely rainbow arch.

Starting point is 00:28:18 The arch of promise across the field of Arles. A tyrolean harvest legend, the crescent moon aware, hung silver in the sky. See St. Northburg's sickle there, the Tyral Children cry. It is a quaint and pretty tale, 600 summers old, when in the green Tarillane Vale, the peasant folk is told. The town of Eber nestled here is little known to fame, same as the legends make it dear, in St. North Berger's name. For in this quiet country place, where a white church spire reared,

Starting point is 00:29:14 Northberger dwelt a maid of grace, who loved the she was a serving little lass, bound to a farmer stern, who to infrow or day must pass, her coarse black bread to earn. She spun and knit the fleecy wool. She bleached the linen white She drew the water buckets full And milked the herd at night And more than this When harvest hide Turned gold all the plain

Starting point is 00:29:51 She took her sickle curving wide And reaped the ripened grain All the people yielded to the charm Of this meek serving mate save the stern master of the farm, of whom or stood godless man who evil spoke, a miser of his stall. Now it was on a Saturday, near to the Sabbath time, which in those ages far away, began at sunset chime. Northberger in the harvest gold was reaping busily. So are she see, Royal Master stood, and fearsome was his eye.

Starting point is 00:30:55 He glowed at the maiden good, he glowed at the sky. For many rows lacked reaping, yet the dark was falling fast, and soon the round sun would be set, sunset chime peeled out, and Sunday had begun. North Berger sighed and the reaping was not done. laid her curving sickle by and said her evening hymn, pasty summons came to drown her whispered words, and angry voice called out her name. What ho, Northberger, lazy one, been to your task again, and do not think the day is done till you have reaped this grain. But master spoke Northberger low, it's the Sabbath time,

Starting point is 00:32:07 We must keep holy hours now, after the sunset chime. And then enraged the master cried, The day belongs to me. No Sunday thought shall spoil the gain, That comes a hundredfold, From reaping on my golden grain, Which shall be turned to gold. Nay master give me gracious leave,

Starting point is 00:32:41 The Lord's will I must keep, upon the Holy Sabbath day My sickle shall not reap The master raised his heavy hand To deal the mate a blow Thou shalt he cried his fierce command And would have struck when low Northberger whirled her sickle bright

Starting point is 00:33:06 And tossed it in the sky A flash a gleam of silver light As it went so longed Burkling by a little star, which had peeped out to see. The sickle hung itself afar, as swiftly as could be. The master stared up wondering, forgetting all his rage, to see so strange a quaint a thing, the marvel of the age, and she the maid so brave and called,

Starting point is 00:33:41 fence forth had naught to fear, but kept the Sabbath as she would, so when among the stars you see, the silver sickle flame, think how the world came to be, and blessed North Berger's name, lost the summer. Where has the summer gone?

Starting point is 00:34:07 She was here just a minute ago, with roses and daisies to whisper her praises, and everyone loved her so. Has anyone seen her about? She must have gone off in the night. And she took the best flowers and asked no one leave for her fight. Have you noticed her steps in the grass, the garden looks red where she went. But beside the hedge there's a golden rod edge,

Starting point is 00:34:44 and the rose vines are withered and bent. Do you think she will ever come back? I shall watch every day at the gate for the robins and clover say over and over, I know she will come the wayside. The golden rod and the astor in the wood and the yellow sunflower by the brook. Pretty slender golden rod like a flame of light. Close your torch so bright with your glorious golden, with a joyous face, with your head so hard.

Guided Sleep Meditation & Sleep Hypnosis from Sleep Cove - Bedtime Stories: The Legends of Autumn & Fall

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