Wandering by that grey and solemn

Water, with its ghostly quays—

Vistas of vast arch and column,

Shadowed by unearthly trees—

Biddings of sweet power compel me,

And I go with bated breath,

Listening to the tales they tell me,

Parables of Life and Death.

In a tongue that once was spoken,

Ere the world was cooled by Time,