And then methought I stood in fairy bowers,

Where Dulness hides behind the mask of Fun,

Where tin-foil and Dutch metal do for flowers,

And lime-light is the sun;

Where Art groans under an unseemly ban,

And airy nothings pass for full attire,

The Stage appeals but to the baser man,

And th' only blush, Red Fire!

* * * *

Then starting I awoke from my nightmare.