Classic Poem

Say , hast thou seen the castle,
Which stands above the sea;
O'er which, in bright and golden flight,
The clouds are floating free?

And is it fairly mirror'd
In the crystal flood below?
And does its shadow tremble
In the evening's ruddy glow?

I saw that lofty castle
Above the dark profound;
And the cold moon stood above it,
And night-mists floated round.

Spoke not the wind and ocean
With merry voice and strong?
And heard'st thou not the sound within,
Of lute, and harp, and song?

The winds and waves were lying
In silence one and all;
And a funeral hymn was singing
Within the darksome hall.

And saw'st thou passing by thee
The monarch and his queen —
The royal robes of purple,
The sceptre's golden sheen?

And led they not between them
A maiden young and fair,
All sunlike in her loveliness,
With bright and flowing hair?

Without or crown or purple
I saw the royal pair;
Their robes were robes of mourning,
The maiden was not there!

Say , hast thou seen the castle,
Which stands above the sea;
O'er which, in bright and golden flight,
The clouds are floating free?

And is it fairly mirror'd
In the crystal flood below?
And does its shadow tremble
In the evening's ruddy glow?

I saw that lofty castle
Above the dark profound;
And the cold moon stood above it,
And night-mists floated round.

Spoke not the wind and ocean
With merry voice and strong?
And heard'st thou not the sound within,
Of lute, and harp, and song?

The winds and waves were lying
In silence one and all;
And a funeral hymn was singing
Within the darksome hall.

And saw'st thou passing by thee
The monarch and his queen —
The royal robes of purple,
The sceptre's golden sheen?

And led they not between them
A maiden young and fair,
All sunlike in her loveliness,
With bright and flowing hair?

Without or crown or purple
I saw the royal pair;
Their robes were robes of mourning,
The maiden was not there!