Three little maids they have done to death,
To see what hid within their hearts.

The first little heart was full of bliss,
And lo, wherever its blood might run,
Three serpents hissed till three years were done.

The second was full of gentlehood,
And lo, wherever its blood might run
Three lambs that fed till three years were done.

The third was full of pain and woe,
And lo, wherever the red blood crept
Archangels three their vigil kept.