The Legend of the Northland
Poem and its explanation
1) First Stanza
Away, away in the Northland,
Where the hours of the day are few,
And the nights are so long in winter
That they cannot sleep them through;
Explanation: The poet describes a cold northern land where days are very short and winter nights are extremely long. The nights last so long that people cannot sleep through them comfortably. This stanza sets the geographical background of the poem.
2) Second Stanza
Where they harness the swift reindeer
To the sledges, when it snows;
And the children look like bear’s cubs
In their funny, furry clothes:
Explanation: People in the Northland use reindeer to pull sledges during snowfall. Due to severe cold, children wear thick furry clothes. Because of these clothes, they look like little bear cubs. The stanza highlights life in snowy regions.
3) Third Stanza
They tell them a curious story —
I don’t believe ’tis true;
And yet you may learn a lesson
If I tell the tale to you.
Explanation: The poet introduces a strange legend told by people of the Northland. Though she doubts its truth, she believes it carries an important moral lesson. The stanza prepares readers for the story that follows.
4) Fourth Stanza
Once, when the good Saint Peter
Lived in the world below,
And walked about it, preaching,
Just as he did, you know,
Explanation: Saint Peter once lived on earth and travelled from place to place preaching goodness and kindness. He helped people understand moral values. This stanza introduces the saint as a noble character.
5) Fifth Stanza
He came to the door of a cottage,
In travelling round the earth,
Where a little woman was making cakes,
And baking them on the hearth;
Explanation: During his journey, Saint Peter reached a small cottage. Inside, a woman was baking cakes near the fire. This meeting becomes the main event of the story. The woman is introduced here.
6) Sixth Stanza
And being faint with fasting,
For the day was almost done,
He asked her, from her store of cakes,
To give him a single one.
Explanation: Saint Peter was weak and hungry after fasting the whole day. He politely asked the woman for just one cake. His request was simple and reasonable, showing humility.
7) Seventh Stanza
So she made a very little cake,
But as it baking lay,
She looked at it, and thought it seemed
Too large to give away.
Explanation: The woman baked a small cake for him but soon felt it was too big to give away. Her selfish nature prevented her from sharing food. She decided to keep it for herself.
8) Eighth Stanza
Therefore she kneaded another,
And still a smaller one;
But it looked, when she turned it over,
As large as the first had done.
Explanation: She prepared another even smaller cake. Yet again, she felt unwilling to give it away. Her greed kept increasing, showing her miserly attitude.
9) Ninth Stanza
Then she took a tiny scrap of dough,
And rolled and rolled it flat;
And baked it thin as a wafer —
But she couldn’t part with that.
Explanation: The woman baked an extremely thin cake from a tiny piece of dough. Even then, she refused to share it. Her selfishness reached its peak.
10) Tenth Stanza
For she said, “My cakes that seem too small
When I eat of them myself
Are yet too large to give away.”
So she put them on the shelf.
Explanation: She justified her refusal by saying the cakes were too small to give away. She stored them safely for herself. This clearly shows her greedy mindset.
11) Eleventh Stanza
Then good Saint Peter grew angry,
For he was hungry and faint;
And surely such a woman
Was enough to provoke a saint.
Explanation: Saint Peter became angry because of her selfish behaviour. Even a patient saint lost his temper. Her refusal to help a needy person was morally wrong.
12) Twelfth Stanza
And he said, “You are far too selfish
To dwell in a human form,
To have both food and shelter,
And fire to keep you warm.
Explanation: Saint Peter scolded the woman for being selfish despite living comfortably. He declared that such a person did not deserve human life. Her punishment was about to begin.
13) Thirteenth Stanza
Now, you shall build as the birds do,
And shall get your scanty food
By boring, and boring, and boring,
All day in the hard, dry wood.”
Explanation: He cursed her to become a bird that must struggle daily for food. She would have to bore holes into trees to survive. This punishment reflected her unwillingness to share food.
14) Fourteenth Stanza
Then up she went through the chimney,
Never speaking a word,
And out of the top flew a woodpecker,
For she was changed to a bird.
Explanation: Immediately, the woman transformed into a woodpecker and flew out through the chimney. The curse came true instantly. Her human form disappeared forever.
15) Fifteenth Stanza
She had a scarlet cap on her head,
And that was left the same;
But all the rest of her clothes were burned
Black as a coal in the flame.
Explanation: The red cap remained on her head after transformation. The rest of her clothes turned black due to fire and smoke. This explains the woodpecker’s appearance.
16) Sixteenth Stanza
And every country schoolboy
Has seen her in the wood,
Where she lives in the trees till this very day,
Boring and boring for food.
Explanation: Even today, people see the woodpecker boring trees for food. She continues to suffer her punishment forever. The poem ends with a strong moral lesson about generosity.
Glossary
- Legend: Old traditional story
- Saint Peter: An apostle of Christ
- Provoke: Make angry
Now, to understand the poem more clearly, let us read it as a story.
The Legend of the Northland — Story Version
Far away in the cold Northland, where winter nights are very long and days are short, people travel through snow using sledges pulled by reindeer. The children there wear thick furry clothes that make them look like little bear cubs. In this snowy land, people tell a strange old story which may or may not be true, but it teaches an important lesson.
Long ago, when Saint Peter lived on Earth, he travelled from place to place spreading good teachings. One day, after fasting for a long time, he became very hungry and tired while travelling. Looking for food, he reached a small cottage where a woman was baking cakes on her hearth.
Saint Peter politely asked the woman to give him just one cake to eat. The woman agreed at first and began making a cake for him. However, when the cake was ready, she felt it looked too big to give away. So she made another smaller cake. But even that seemed too large to share.
Still unwilling to give anything, she rolled a tiny piece of dough as thin as possible and baked it like a wafer. Yet even this appeared too much for her to part with. Being extremely selfish, she decided to keep all the cakes for herself and placed them safely on a shelf instead of helping the hungry traveller.
Saint Peter became angry and disappointed. Though he was a saint, the woman’s selfishness shocked him. He told her that she did not deserve to live comfortably as a human being when she refused to help someone in need despite having enough food and warmth.
As punishment, he cursed her. He declared that she would live like a bird, searching endlessly for food by boring into hard wood all day long. Immediately, the woman flew up through the chimney and turned into a woodpecker.
Her red cap remained the same, but her clothes were burned black in the fire as she changed form. From that day onwards, she has lived in the forests, drilling trees again and again to find food.
Even today, people say that the woodpecker seen boring into tree trunks is that same selfish woman, serving her punishment forever — reminding everyone of the importance of kindness and generosity.
Summary
The Legend of the Northland is a folk tale that teaches the lesson of kindness and generosity. It tells the story of a selfish woman who refused to give even a small cake to Saint Peter when he was hungry and tired. Though she had enough food, she kept making smaller cakes but could not bring herself to share any.
Angered by her selfishness, Saint Peter cursed her and turned her into a woodpecker. Since then, she has been forced to live in the forest, boring into trees all day to find food. The poem shows that selfish people are punished, while kindness and generosity are important human values.