There were three jolly Welshmen, As I have heard men say,And they went a-hunting Upon St. David"s Day.
All the day they hunted,
And nothing could they find Except a ship a-sailing,A-sailing with the wind.
One said it was a ship,
The second he said " Nay"; The third he said it was a houseWith the chimney, blown away.
And all the night they hunted, And nothing could they findExcept the moon a-gliding, A-gliding with the wind.
One said it was the moon, The second he said "Nay";The third, he said it was a cheese With half of it away.
And all the day they hunted, And nothing could they findBut an owl in the holly tree, And that they left behind.
One said it was an owl,
The second he said "Nay";
The third he said "twas an old man, And his beard was growing grey.
-Old Rhyme
Author.-The author is not known.
General Notes.-What are Welshmen? St. David, or St. Dewi, is the patron saint of Wales. He is supposed to have been a Christian bishop who lived about the year 600. St. David"s Day is the 1st of March. On that day every good Welshman wears a leek in memory of a victory over the Saxons. In this battle each Welshman wore a leek in his cap. The Saxons, having no badge, often killed one another in the battle.
