A Legend of Northland is a ballad written by Phoebe Cary.
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;
Where they harness the swift reindeer
To the sledges, when it snows;
And the children look like bearâs
cubs
In their funny, furry clothes:
They tell them a curious story â
I donât believe âtis true;
And yet you may learn a lesson
If I tell the tale to you.
Once, when the good Saint Peter
Lived in the world below,
And walked about it, preaching,
Just as he did, you know,
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;
And being faint with fasting,
For the day was almost done,