This is the first in a series of classic poetry inspired films.

The Stolen Child by W.B. Yeats

Where dips the rocky highland
Of Sleuth Wood in the lake,
There lies a leafy island
Where flapping herons wake
The drowsy water rats;
There we've hid our faery vats,
Full of berrys
And of reddest stolen cherries.
Come away, O human child!
To the waters and the wild
With a faery, hand in hand,
For the world's more full of weeping than you can understand.

Where the wave of moonlight glosses
The dim gray sands with light,
Far off by furthest Rosses
We foot it all the night,
Weaving olden dances
Mingling hands and mingling glances
Till the moon has taken flight;
To and fro we leap
And chase the frothy bubbles,
While the world is full of troubles
And anxious in its sleep.
Come away, O human child!
To the waters and the wild
With a faery, hand in hand,
For the world's more full of weeping than you can understand.

Where the wandering water gushes
From the hills above Glen-Car,
In pools among the rushes
That scarce could bathe a star,
We seek for slumbering trout
And whispering in their ears
Give them unquiet dreams;
Leaning softly out
From ferns that drop their tears
Over the young streams.
Come away, O human child!
To the waters and the wild
With a faery, hand in hand,
For the world's more full of weeping than you can understand.

Away with us he's going,
The solemn-eyed:
He'll hear no more the lowing
Of the calves on the warm hillside
Or the kettle on the hob
Sing peace into his breast,
Or see the brown mice bob
Round and round the oatmeal chest.
For he comes, the human child,
To the waters and the wild
With a faery, hand in hand,
For the world's more full of weeping than he can understand.

W.B. Yeats

This machinima animation was created and filmed within the virtual world of Second Life.

Creator credits listed at the end of the film.

Hi! I've had requests from people to visit the Sim where this movie was filmed, unfortunately it does not exist in virtual space - the sets were only set up to create this poem, then they were torn down again. Thanks.

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Festivals etc

Shoot Festival, Singapore, 2009
Nuit Blanche, Paris, France, 2009
DragonCon, Atlanta, USA, 2009
Edinburgh Interactive Festival, Edinburgh, UK, 2009
Cinemanila Film Festival 2009, Manila, Philippines, 2009
Atopic Media Festival, Paris, France, 2009
2nd Place - Microsoft Visual Challenge Cup 2009

Creator of Second Life, Philip Rosedale, mentions "The Stolen Child" in his keynote speech at LL conference (0.55-2.20)

youtube.com/watch?v=emOujZCoUdY&feature=player_embedded