Page:Poems Barrett.djvu/309

 She has thrown her bonnet by;
And her feet she has been dipping
 In the shallow water's flow—
 Now she holds them nakedly
In her hands, all sleek and dripping,
 While she rocketh to and fro.

 Little Ellie sits alone,—
And the smile, she softly useth,
 Fills the silence like a speech;
 While she thinks what shall be done,—
And the sweetest pleasure, chooseth,
 For her future within reach!

 Little Ellie in her smile
Chooseth . . . "I will have a lover,
 Riding on a steed of steeds!
 He shall love me without guile;
And to him I will discover
 That swan's nest among the reeds.

 "And the steed shall be red-roan,
And the lover shall be noble,
 With an eye that takes the breath,—
 And the lute he plays upon,
Shall strike ladies into trouble,
 As his sword strikes men to death.

 "And the steed, it shall be shod
All in silver, housed in azure,
 And the mane shall swim the wind!
 And the hoofs, along the sod,
Shall flash onward in a pleasure,
 Till the shepherds look behind.

 "But my lover will not prize
All the glory that he rides in,
 When he gazes in my face!
 He will say, 'O love, thine eyes