That water nymphs would rise and dance upon the waves so blue,
Or that some little fairy queen, with all her elfin train,
Would come and hold their festivals upon the sunlit main.
As on that sunny beach I stood, I fancied I could hear
Their voices low and musical, their silvery laughter clear;
I almost wished myself a fay, that I might join their throng,
To laugh, and dance, and dive with them, and sing the merry song.
I wished I had a little boat—a tiny painted oar,
That I might float upon the sea, far from that sandy shore,
Far, far away, until no sight would meet my kindling eye,