Poems, Chiefly Lyrical/The Merman
For other versions of this work, see The Merman.
THE MERMAN.
Who would beA merman boldSitting alone,Singing aloneUnder the sea,With a crown of gold.On a throne?
I would be a merman bold;I would sit and sing the whole of the day; I would fill the seahalls with a voice of power;But at night I would roam abroad and playWith the mermaids in and out of the rocks,Dressing their hair with the white seaflower,And holding them back by their flowing locksI would kiss them often under the sea,And kiss them again till they kissed meLaughingly, laughingly;And then we would wander away, awayTo the palegreen seagroves straight and high,Chasing each other merrily.
There would be neither moon nor star;But the wave would make music above us afar—Low thunder and light in the magic night—Neither moon nor star.We would call aloud in the dreamy dells,Call to each other, and whoop and cryAll night, merrily, merrily:They would pelt me with starry spangles and shells, Laughing and clapping their hands between,All night, merrily, merrily:But I would throw to them back in mineTurkis and agate and almondine:Then leaping out upon them unseenI would kiss them often under the sea,And kiss them again till they kissed meLaughingly, laughingly.Oh! what a happy life were mineUnder the hollow-hung ocean green!Soft are the mossbeds under the sea;We would live merrily, merrily.