Songs of
Fancy

They thought that she was fast asleep,

But she was dead with sorrow.
They have kept her ever since
Deep within the lakes,
On a bed of flag leaves,
Watching till she wakes.

By the craggy hillside,
Through the mosses bare,
They have planted thorn-trees
For pleasure here and there.
Is any man so daring

As dig one up in spite?
He shall find the thornies set
In his bed at night.

Up the airy mountain,
Down the rushy glen,
We daren't go a-hunting
For fear of little men;
Wee folk, good folk,
Trooping all together;
Green jacket, red cap,
And white owl's feather.

WILLIAM ALLINGHAM.

The Merman

I

Who would be

A merman bold,

Sitting alone,
Singing alone

Under the sea,

With a crown of gold,

On a throne?

II

I would be a merman bold,

I would sit and sing the whole of the day;
I would fill the sea-halls with a voice of power;
But at night I would roam abroad and play
With the mermaids in and out of the rocks,
Dressing their hair with the white sea-flower;
And holding them back by their flowing locks
I would kiss them often under the sea,
And kiss them again till they kiss'd me
Laughingly, laughingly ;

And then we would wander away, away,
To the pale-green sea-groves straight and high,
Chasing each other merrily.

III

There would be neither moon nor star;

But the wave would make music above us afar

Songs of
Fancy

Songs of Low thunder and light in the magic night— Neither moon nor star.

Fancy

We would call aloud in the dreamy dells,
Call to each other and whoop and cry
All night, merrily, merrily.

They would pelt me with starry spangles and
shells,

Laughing and clapping their hands between,
All night, merrily, merrily,

But I would throw to them back in mine
Turkis and agate and almondine;

Then leaping out upon them unseen
I would kiss them often under the sea,
And kiss them again till they kiss'd me
Laughingly, laughingly.

O, what a happy life were mine
Under the hollow-hung ocean green!
Soft are the moss-beds under the sea;
We would live merrily, merrily.

ALFRED, LORD TENNYSON.

The Mermaid

I

Who would be

A mermaid fair,

Singing alone,
Combing her hair

Under the sea,

In a golden curl

With a comb of pearl,

On a throne?

II

I would be a mermaid fair;

I would sing to myself the whole of the day;
With a comb of pearl I would comb my hair;
And still as I combed I would sing and say,
"Who is it loves me? who loves not me?"

I would comb my hair till my ringlets would fall
Low adown, low adown,

From under my starry sea-bud crown

Low adown and around,

And I should look like a fountain of gold
Springing alone

With a shrill inner sound,

Over the throne

In the midst of the hall;

Till that great sea-snake under the sea

From his coiled sleeps in the central deeps

Would slowly trail himself sevenfold

Round the hall where I sate, and look in at the

gate

With his large calm eyes for the love of me.

And all the mermen under the sea

Would feel their immortality

Die in their hearts for the love of me.

Songs of
Fancy

Songs of
Fancy

III

But at night I would wander away, away,

I would fling on each side my low-flowing locks, And lightly vault from the throne and play

With the mermen in and out of the rocks;
We would run to and fro, and hide and seek,

On the broad sea-wolds in the crimson shells,
Whose silvery spikes are nearest the sea.
But if any came near I would call and shriek,
And adown the steep like a wave I would leap
From the diamond ledges that jut from the

dells;

For I would not be kiss'd by all who would list,
Of the bold merry mermen under the sca;
They would sue me, and woo me, and flatter mc,
In the purple twilights under the sea;
But the king of them all would carry me,
Woo me, win me, and marry me,

In the branching jaspers under the sea;
Then all the dry pied things that be
In the hueless mosses under the sea
Would curl round my silver feet silently,
All looking up for the love of me.

And if I should carol aloud from aloft

All things that are forked and horned and soft
Would lean out from the hollow sphere of the sea,
All looking down for the love of me.

ALFRED, LORD TENNYSON.