Sway on the liquid dark;

And a fire-fly, perched upon it,

Shone out its fitful spark.

I fancied it a light-house

Mooned on a sky-like sea,

[Pg 18]

To warn the fearless sailors

Of lurking treachery—

Of unseen reefs and shallows

That starved for wrecks to be.

O Blanche, O love that spurns me,

'Tis but a cheat thou art.

I would some friendly light-house

Had warned me to depart

From the secret reefs and shallows

That hide about your heart.

XV. DARKNESS.

My hopes and my ambition all were down,

Like grass the mower turneth from its place;

The night's thick darkness was an angry frown,

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