I'd never heard this story before, so when my friend Duckie suggested it, I was stumped. It sounded good, though, and Duckie knows what's down, so.
Google to the rescue.
But apparently there are many versions of it? After a little bit of wading through various lengths and details I found a relatively good abstract here and is brought to life by the Decemberists in a three-part set of songs. These are the lyrics, but for sure go read the story somewhere too:
The Crane Wife 1, 2 and 3 – The Decemberists
1: It was a cold night / And the snow lay low
I pulled my coat tight / Against it falling down
And the sun was all / And the sun was all down
I am a poor man /I haven't wealth nor fame
I have my two hands / And a house to my name
And the winter's so / And the winter's so long
And all the stars were crashing 'round / As I laid eyes on what I'd found
It was a white crane / It was a helpless thing
Upon a red stain / With and arrow in its wing
And it called and cried / And it called and cried so
And all the stars were crashing 'round / As I laid eyes on what I'd found
My crane wife, my crane wife / My crane wife, my crane wife
Now I helped her / And now I dressed her wounds
And how I held her / Beneath the rising moon
And she stood to fly / And she stood to fly away
2: My crane wife / Arrived at my door in the moonlight
All starbright and tongue-tied / I took her in
We were married / And bells rang sweet for our wedding
And our bedding was ready / We fell in
Sound the keening bell / And see it's painted red
Soft as fontanelle / The feathers in the thread
And all I ever meant / To do was to keep you
My crane wife, my crane wife / My crane wife
We were poorly / Our fortunes fading hourly
And how she loved me / She could bring it back
But I was greedy / I was vain and I forced her to weaving
On a cold loom in a closed room / Down hall
Sound the keening bell / And see it's painted red
Soft as fontanelle / The feathers in the thread
And all I ever meant / To do was to keep you
My crane wife, my crane wife / My crane wife
There's a bend in the wind / And it rakes at my heart
There is blood in the thread / And it rakes at my heart
3: And under the boughs unbound / All clothed in a snowy shroud
She had no heart so hardened / All under the boughs unbound
Each feather it fell from skin / 'Til threadbare, she grew thin
How were my eyes so blinded? / Each feather it fell from skin
A grey sky, a bitter sting / A raincloud, a crane on wing
All out beyond horizon, oh / A grey sky, a bitter sting
And I will hang my head, hang my head low
And I will hang my head, hang my head low
Hours logged today: 0/editing Pages logged today: 0/editing Total pages logged today: 116
Moment of Magic today:
Moment of Magic today:
It's Friday. Need I say more? Have a happy weekend and thanks for coming around to read my blog.