Evocative

Grey goose and gander
Waft your wings together
And carry the good king's daughter
Over the one strand river.

This is not a rhyme I knew as a child. I came across it in the book my own good daughter gave me for Christmas. I love it.

The opening lines are as graceful a bit of poetry as you are likely to find. And the whole thing feels as if it were referring to a story which you ought to know, but can't quite remember.

What is the one strand river and where is it found? Who is the good king? How old is his daughter? Is she being carried toward him or away from him, and why?

It's like a dream that you know is important, but that slips away from you as you wake.