The Pied Piper of Hamelin

Pay The Piper

According to medieval legend, the town of Hamelin in north Germany was over run with rats in the late 13th century.  One day a mysterious man appears who offers to take care of the rats for a fee.  The citizens of Hamelin agree to the deal, and the man played his pipe and led the rats out of town.  Afterward, the people refuse to pay the piper.  So the piper comes back.  However, this time he plays his pipe and it is the children of Hamelin who are lead away.

Robert Browning's poem was originally published in 1842 in Dramatic Lyrics as part of the Bells and Pomegranates series.  The poem is one of Browning’s most famous works.  The illustrated version of this book was first published in 1888 and has been a staple of children’s storybook poetry for over a century.