When Mary saw the embers wane,
she knew the need to fight night's chill,
for by her side sweet Jesus lay,
a baby born to do God's will.
Her strength was sapped to fan the fire
when Mary saw the embers wane.
She could not let those flames expire,
and then she heard a bird's refrain.
"I know that I am small and plain,
but I will flap my wings all night."
When Mary saw the embers wane,
she somehow knew he'd make things right.
Though growing flames had burnt his breast,
this robin never once complained.
He felt her need and passed the test,
when Mary saw the embers wane.
So robin redbreasts to this day
display their colors to proclaim,
"When duty called, we found a way
when Mary saw the embers wane."
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Author Notes
I found this legend on multiple websites though I had never heard it before. The robin was originally a plain dull brown, until the night of Jesus' birth. The flames from the fire warming her and her baby were going out, and she didn't have the strength to keep the fire going. (None of the variants of the story explain why Joseph could not help.) Just as Mary was getting desperate, a robin living in the loft of the stable offered his services to fan the embers and keep the fire going. In the course of doing this, his breast got singed, and ever since robins have had beautiful red breasts as reward for their ancestor's diligence.
The form of this poem is a quatern plus an extra verse because I ran out of verses before I ran out of story! LOL
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