Sometimes within my handA Spirit puts the silver keyOf Fairyland:From the dark, barren heath he beckons me,Till by that hidden hillside door,Where bards have passed before,I seem to stand.The portal opens wide:In, through the wondrous, lighted halls,Voiceless I glideWhere tinkling music magically falls,And fair in fountained gardens moveThe heroes, blest with loveAnd glorified.Then by the meadows green,Down winding walks of elf and fay,I pass unseen:There rest the valiant chieftains wreathed with bay;Here maidens to their lovers cling,And happy minstrels sing,Praising their queen.For where yon pillars are,And birds with tuneful voices call,There shines a star,—The crown she wears, the Fairy Queen of all!Led to that inmost, wooded hauntBy maidens ministrant,I halt afar.O joy! she sees me standDoubting, and calls me near her throne,And waves her wand,As in my dreams, and smiles on me alone.O royal beauty, proud and sweet!I bow me at her feetTo kiss that hand:Ah woe! ah, fate malign!By what a rude, revengeful gust,From that fair shrineWhich holds my sovran mistress I am thrust!Then comes a mocking voice’s taunt,Crying,Thou fool, avaunt!She is not thine!And I am backward borneBy unseen awful hands, and cast,In utter scorn,Forth from that brightness to the midnight blast:Not mine the minstrel-lover’s wreath,But the dark, barren heath,And heart forlorn.
Sometimes within my handA Spirit puts the silver keyOf Fairyland:From the dark, barren heath he beckons me,Till by that hidden hillside door,Where bards have passed before,I seem to stand.The portal opens wide:In, through the wondrous, lighted halls,Voiceless I glideWhere tinkling music magically falls,And fair in fountained gardens moveThe heroes, blest with loveAnd glorified.Then by the meadows green,Down winding walks of elf and fay,I pass unseen:There rest the valiant chieftains wreathed with bay;Here maidens to their lovers cling,And happy minstrels sing,Praising their queen.For where yon pillars are,And birds with tuneful voices call,There shines a star,—The crown she wears, the Fairy Queen of all!Led to that inmost, wooded hauntBy maidens ministrant,I halt afar.O joy! she sees me standDoubting, and calls me near her throne,And waves her wand,As in my dreams, and smiles on me alone.O royal beauty, proud and sweet!I bow me at her feetTo kiss that hand:Ah woe! ah, fate malign!By what a rude, revengeful gust,From that fair shrineWhich holds my sovran mistress I am thrust!Then comes a mocking voice’s taunt,Crying,Thou fool, avaunt!She is not thine!And I am backward borneBy unseen awful hands, and cast,In utter scorn,Forth from that brightness to the midnight blast:Not mine the minstrel-lover’s wreath,But the dark, barren heath,And heart forlorn.
Sometimes within my handA Spirit puts the silver keyOf Fairyland:From the dark, barren heath he beckons me,Till by that hidden hillside door,Where bards have passed before,I seem to stand.
Sometimes within my hand
A Spirit puts the silver key
Of Fairyland:
From the dark, barren heath he beckons me,
Till by that hidden hillside door,
Where bards have passed before,
I seem to stand.
The portal opens wide:In, through the wondrous, lighted halls,Voiceless I glideWhere tinkling music magically falls,And fair in fountained gardens moveThe heroes, blest with loveAnd glorified.
The portal opens wide:
In, through the wondrous, lighted halls,
Voiceless I glide
Where tinkling music magically falls,
And fair in fountained gardens move
The heroes, blest with love
And glorified.
Then by the meadows green,Down winding walks of elf and fay,I pass unseen:There rest the valiant chieftains wreathed with bay;Here maidens to their lovers cling,And happy minstrels sing,Praising their queen.
Then by the meadows green,
Down winding walks of elf and fay,
I pass unseen:
There rest the valiant chieftains wreathed with bay;
Here maidens to their lovers cling,
And happy minstrels sing,
Praising their queen.
For where yon pillars are,And birds with tuneful voices call,There shines a star,—The crown she wears, the Fairy Queen of all!Led to that inmost, wooded hauntBy maidens ministrant,I halt afar.
For where yon pillars are,
And birds with tuneful voices call,
There shines a star,—
The crown she wears, the Fairy Queen of all!
Led to that inmost, wooded haunt
By maidens ministrant,
I halt afar.
O joy! she sees me standDoubting, and calls me near her throne,And waves her wand,As in my dreams, and smiles on me alone.O royal beauty, proud and sweet!I bow me at her feetTo kiss that hand:
O joy! she sees me stand
Doubting, and calls me near her throne,
And waves her wand,
As in my dreams, and smiles on me alone.
O royal beauty, proud and sweet!
I bow me at her feet
To kiss that hand:
Ah woe! ah, fate malign!By what a rude, revengeful gust,From that fair shrineWhich holds my sovran mistress I am thrust!Then comes a mocking voice’s taunt,Crying,Thou fool, avaunt!She is not thine!
Ah woe! ah, fate malign!
By what a rude, revengeful gust,
From that fair shrine
Which holds my sovran mistress I am thrust!
Then comes a mocking voice’s taunt,
Crying,Thou fool, avaunt!
She is not thine!
And I am backward borneBy unseen awful hands, and cast,In utter scorn,Forth from that brightness to the midnight blast:Not mine the minstrel-lover’s wreath,But the dark, barren heath,And heart forlorn.
And I am backward borne
By unseen awful hands, and cast,
In utter scorn,
Forth from that brightness to the midnight blast:
Not mine the minstrel-lover’s wreath,
But the dark, barren heath,
And heart forlorn.
The sunset darkens in the west,The sea-gulls haunt the bay,And far and high the swallows flyTo watch the dying day.Now where is she that once with meThe rippling waves would list?And O for the song I loved so long,And the darling lips I kist!Yon twinkling sail may whiter gleamThan falcon’s snowy wing,Her lances far the evening-starBeyond the waves may fling;Float on, ah float, enchanted boat,Bear true hearts o’er the main,But I shall guide thy helm no more,Nor whisper love again!
The sunset darkens in the west,The sea-gulls haunt the bay,And far and high the swallows flyTo watch the dying day.Now where is she that once with meThe rippling waves would list?And O for the song I loved so long,And the darling lips I kist!Yon twinkling sail may whiter gleamThan falcon’s snowy wing,Her lances far the evening-starBeyond the waves may fling;Float on, ah float, enchanted boat,Bear true hearts o’er the main,But I shall guide thy helm no more,Nor whisper love again!
The sunset darkens in the west,The sea-gulls haunt the bay,And far and high the swallows flyTo watch the dying day.Now where is she that once with meThe rippling waves would list?And O for the song I loved so long,And the darling lips I kist!
The sunset darkens in the west,
The sea-gulls haunt the bay,
And far and high the swallows fly
To watch the dying day.
Now where is she that once with me
The rippling waves would list?
And O for the song I loved so long,
And the darling lips I kist!
Yon twinkling sail may whiter gleamThan falcon’s snowy wing,Her lances far the evening-starBeyond the waves may fling;Float on, ah float, enchanted boat,Bear true hearts o’er the main,But I shall guide thy helm no more,Nor whisper love again!
Yon twinkling sail may whiter gleam
Than falcon’s snowy wing,
Her lances far the evening-star
Beyond the waves may fling;
Float on, ah float, enchanted boat,
Bear true hearts o’er the main,
But I shall guide thy helm no more,
Nor whisper love again!