Author's Note: I stole the poem from the book and added Sophie's mental commentary between lines. The text in Italics belongs to John Donne (and by extention, Diana Wynne Jones.) This one of my favorite poems—it was fun to work Sophie's thoughts into it. This poem was requested by 13-Red-Cards. Thank you for your encouraging words!

I.

Go and catch a falling star,

If you spread a big enough net,

Get with child a mandrake root,

Mandrakes have ugly babes I bet,

Tell me where all past years are,

Howl would know but slither out,

Or who cleft the devil's foot.

Calcifer won't tell, no doubt,

Teach me to hear the mermaid's singing,

Howl would flirt with every one,

Or to keep of envy's stinging,

I'm not jealous of any one!

And find

What wind

Serves to advance an honest mind.

Which isn't Howl's although he's kind.

II.

If thou beest born to strange sights,

Howl is one of them, I think,

Things invisible to see,

Is Howl blind or did he blink?

Ride ten thousand days and nights,

In the castle Howl was riding,

Till age snow white hairs on thee,

Snow white hairs he could be hiding.

Thou, when thou returnest, will tell me

To the witch Howl must return,

All strange wonders that befell thee,

To the witch tell all he learned.

And swear

With that he'll have no strife.

No where

Lives a woman true and fair.

About Howl's curse I do not care.

So there!