A ray of sunlight just beyond my reach,
Like Tantalus, as ancient classics teach,
When for duplicity and theft immersed,
In rippling waters, doomed to ceaseless thirst,—
For as his parching lips essayed to drink,
The mocking waters would recede, or sink;
Though luscious fruits hung pendent in his sight,
To coax the palate and the appetite,
Whene'er his hand reached forth with eager thrust,
Those selfsame fruits resolved to baleful dust.