Through the house give glimmering light
By the dead and drowsy fire;
Every elf and fairy sprite
Hop as light as bird from brier;
And this ditty after me
Sing, and dance it trippingly.
First, rehearse your song by rote,
To each word a warbling note:
Hand in hand, with fairy grace,
Will we sing, and bless this place.
Instructions spoken by Oberon and Titania, King and Queen of the fairies, at the end of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Act V, sc. 1
-William Shakespeare
Calligraphy and art by Cari Ferraro, 2000
The design of this card, and the larger art that preceded it, emerged during the trials of lettering and paint I was making at my drawing table. In a hurry, I laid it aside and then later laid something on top of it, smearing the lettering and dabs of iridescent ink I was putting in the margins. My daughter, who had played a fairy twice in productions of this play, came into the studio and said, “Oh leave it, Mom. That’s how fairies are. They mess with stuff!” After that I channeled my inner fairy and had fun swirling the paint for the final design.
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