The Tale of the Snakes

St Patrick chased away the snakes,
St Michael slew the dragon
And all the womenfolk baked their cakes
As their husbands raised a flagon.

That was not the end of the snakes;
They fled to the land of dreams.
The saints had made two grave mistakes,
For nothing's as plain as it seems.

But many a leaf fell down from a tree,
The rivers ran furious races,
And Father Time and the Man of the Sea
Turned the snakes into strawberry laces.