THE music under the linden-tree sounds, The boys and the maidens dance lightly; Amongst them two dance, whom nobody knows, Of figures noble and sightly. They float about here, they float about there, In a way that strange habits expresses; They smile at each other, they shake their heads, The maiden the youth thus addresses: "My handsome youth, upon thy hat "There nods a lily splendid, "That only grows in the depths of the sea, -- "From Adam thou art not descended. "The Kelpie art thou, who the fair village maids "Would'st allure with thy arts of seduction; "I knew thee at once, at the very first sight, "By thy teeth of fish-like construction." They float about here, they float about there, In a way that strange habits expresses; They smile at each other, they shake their heads, The youth the maid thus addresses: "My handsome maiden, tell me why "Thy hand so icy cold is? "And tell me why thy snow-white dress "So moist in every fold is? "I knew thee at once, at the very first sight, "By thy bantering salutation; "Thou art no mortal child of man, "But the water-nymph, my relation." The fiddles are silent, and finish'd the dance, They part like sister and brother, They know each other only too well, And shun now the sight of each other. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...THE FLY, FR. SONGS OF EXPERIENCE by WILLIAM BLAKE SUMMER IN ENGLAND, 1914 by ALICE MEYNELL THE YOUTH WITH RED-GOLD HAIR by EDITH SITWELL GOD'S ACRE by CHARLOTTE LOUISE BERTLESEN THE TOAD by WILFRID SCAWEN BLUNT AN ANGRY WORD by MARGARET E. BRUNER |