I have always loved Robert Browning’s poem about the Pied Piper, the strange character who relieves the townsfolk of Hamelin of their terrible plague of rats. Then the Mayor and Corporation refuse to pay the promised sum, and the Pied Piper sets to work again, to charm all the children with his music. The fate of all the children is mysterious.
Did you know that the tale was not invented by Browning, but is actually an ancient legend? Do you know how the town of Hamelin celebrates the poem today? Would you buy a rat-shaped cake there?
I hope you enjoy my reading of this famous poem and all the illustrations that accompany it.
The Pied Piper of Hamelin by Robert Browning
Hamelin Town’s in Brunswick,
By famous Hanover city;
The river Weser, deep and wide,
Washes its wall on the southern side;
A pleasanter spot you never spied;
But, when begins my ditty,
Almost five hundred years ago,
To see the townsfolk suffer so
From vermin, was a pity.
Continue reading at Poetry Foundation.
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The Pied Piper of Hamelin by Robert Browning, illustrated by Kate Greenaway
Internet Archive: The Pied Piper of Hamelin by Robert Browning, illustrated by Kate Greenaway
Poetry Foundation: The Pied Piper of Hamelin by Robert Browning
Susannah Fullerton: Robert Browning is born
Susannah Fullerton: Robert Browning first wrote to Elizabeth Barrett
Susannah Fullerton: Elizabeth Barrett Browning & How Do I Love Thee?
Susannah Fullerton: Robert Browning dies
Poetry Foundation: Robert Browning