Fetch me a Fertle

Go fetch me a Fertle, my beamish boy
That scuttle upon the moonlit sands
The neap tide calls them out tonight
To swim the seas to far off lands

Go fetch me a Fertle, darling child
‘Tis a strange, alluring little creature
Whose pearly shell upon its back
Is considered its most charming feature

But tread you carefully as you go
They’re quick to startle, fast to flee
And should they hear your heavy step
Will scurry fast towards the sea

Take with you a lidded box
Lined with feathers deep inside
And if you chance to capture one
Place it in and let it hide

And as you bring it back to me
Sing a gentle lullaby
To calm its swiftly beating heart
For Fertles are so quick to cry

And once their Fertle tears do fall
They carry on until a time
When all you’ll have inside your box
Is nothing but a pool of brine

So sing a song to make it stay
And settle to captivity
Don’t let the Fertle melt away
Oh, bring a Fertle back to me