Merry, merry elves we be,
O'er the bright and bounding sea,
Dancing merrily.
We glide to the shore in our fairy bark,
When the moon looks out on high,
And the waves twinkle round us in many a spark,
Like radiant melody.
We dance to the sound of the calm cold billow,
Ere it sleeps on the sand, ere it dies on its pillow.
Merry, merry elves we be,
Under the greenwood tree,
Dancing merrily.
And the moon through yon white and fleecy cloud,
Pale, silent, and softly creeps,
Like a spectre clad in a silvery shroud,
While nature quietly sleeps.
We merrily trip it with twinkling feet,
As the leaves rustle o'er us in melody sweet.
Away, away,
At break of day,
For night is the fairies' holiday.
STANZAS FOR MUSIC.[K]
Fare thee well! the dream is o'er;
Loved one fare thee well!
Tears and vows deceive no more,
When broken every spell.
Stars that fade in morning light,
Suns that set shall rise;
But no dawn illumes the night,
When Hope's last glimmer dies!
Oh! lay me where the willows weep,
On some dreary shore;
Calm shall be that colder sleep,
Life's dark vision o'er.
Though earthly joys for ever fled,
Yet mercy whispers nigh,
Immortal life beyond the dead,
And bliss beyond the sky.