Under the Cliffs.
I.
White-throated Maiden, gay be thy carol1
Under the cliffs by the sea ;2
Plays the soft wind with thy dainty apparel—3
Ah, but thou think’st not of me.4
Stately and slow5
The great ships go,6
White gulls in the blue float free ;7
And my own dear May8
Sees the skies turn gray9
Under the cliffs by the sea.10
II.
Ah, there is one who follows thee lonely11
Under the cliffs by the sea :12
Joy to this heart if thy watchet eyes only13
Turn for a moment on me.14
Strange is thy gaze15
O’er the ocean’s haze,16
With those white hands claspt on thy knee :17
Sweet breast, flutter high18
For a true-love nigh19
Under the cliffs by the sea !20
III.
When shall I dare love’s story to utter21
Under the cliffs by the sea ?22
When shall I feel thy little heart flutter,23
Press’d, O my darling, to me ?24
Lo, the foam grows dark,25
And the white-winged barque26
Seems a speck in the mist to be :27
Ere the sun’s rim dips28
Let me kiss those lips29
Under the cliffs by the sea !30