Classic Poem

When dusky night obscures the sky,
I mount my magic car;
And over the moor and the mountain I fly,
To chase each falling star.
And I take invisible forms,
To mount above the ground,
And gather the lightnings from out of the storms,
While the thunder rolls around.

I delve in the earth and dive in the deep,
Where never was mortal before;
The tide whirls around, and the mad billows leap,
And the hurricanes loudly roar:
The stars and planets retire,
The sun sinks under the main;
Volcanoes break out with their torrents of fire,
And dread earthquakes heave the plain.

Still downward afar I wend my way,
Till I reach my magic hall,
Where goblins, and witches, and elfins gray,
Attend my mighty call:
And I bind them down with the spell,
Of the mystic symbols ten;
And weave the enchantment that aids me to tell
The hidden fate of men.

But now I'm return'd from the ends of the earth,
With my wand, tiara, and all,—
To spend a few moments of pleasure and mirth,
And attend the Fancy Ball:—
Till my wandering star shall appear,
And the midnight bell be toll'd;—
Then ladies and gentlemen freely draw near,
And the book of your fates unfold.