The Legends of the Rhine.
89
These and other pleasant facts,
Are the properties that shine
In the Legends of the Rhine.
Maledictions, whispered vows,
Underneath the linden boughs;
Murder, Bigamy and Theft,
Travelers of goods bereft,
Rapine, Pillage, Arson, Spoil—
Everything but honest toil,
Are the deeds that best define
Every Legend of the Rhine:
That Virtue always meets reward,
But quicker, when it wears a sword;
That Providence has special care
Of gallant knight and lady fair;
That villians, as a thing of course
Are always haunted by remorse—
Is the moral I opine,
Of the Legends of the Rhine.
