The Call

This poem is particularly impressive because Ruth Molloy wrote it at the age of eight. From her perspective as an eight-year-old, she wrote about nature calling her to run away and be one with it. She calls out to whomever will listen, "Who will come away with me?" She is in awe of nature and she wants to run away and explore it. Although the vocabulary and style are quite impressive for a young child, there is still a magical element that reminds the reader that Ruth is so young. She wrote: "As I come into the stronghold of the goddess of the sea; And the little mermaid beaches / Where the wee mermaidens play; Little dwarfs and pixies come / And they sing and they dance / To the beating of a drum." Ruth was exploring her whimsical fantasies through this eloquently written poem.

"The Call"

Through the valleys of the mountain,
Through the valleys of the sea,
Who will come,
Who will come,
Who will come away with me?
Who will brace the wind and tide
In the valley of the sea?
Who will come away with me?
Who will brace the wind and tide
In the valleys of the sea?
Who will climb the highest tops
Of the mountain peaks with me?

In the deepest valleys
Of the bluest, bluest sea,
There are many, many wonders
That would blind the eyes for me.
Then the light shines forth on me,
As I come into the stronghold
Of the goddess of the sea.
And she shows me through her caverns, 
Which are shining like the day,
And the little mermaid beaches
Where the wee mermaidens play;
And she shows me all her peacocks,
Which are gold and green and blue.
Who will come,
Who will come?
For the hardships they are few.
Who will come,
Who will come?
For the hardships they are few.
Who will come,
Who will come,
To the valleys of the sea?
Who will come and see the treasures
Of the ocean gods with me?

In the highest, highest valleys,
Of the brownest, brownest hills,
There are places where the winds blow,
And make music in the rills.
After sunset, in the twilight,
Little dwarfs and pixies come
And they sing and they dance
To the beating of the drum.

In the sunrise, after night time,
When the winds are from the sea,
The pines sing from the skyland
Little whispered songs to me
And the birdling in the treetops
Answer, answer, soft and low;
And the wind calls back caresses
Who will go,
Who will go
To the land of the wind and sunshine,
Where the little fairies dwell,
Where the pixies dance by moonlight
To the tune of flute and bell?
Through the valleys of the mountain,
Through the valleys of the sea,
Who will come,
Who will come,
Who will come away with me?