I've a kiss from a warmer lover Than maiden of earth can be:She blew it up to the skies above her, And now it has come to me:From the far-away it has come to-day With a breath of the old salt sea.
She lay and laughed on a lazy billow, Far away on the deep,Who had gathered the froth for my lady's pillow— Gathered a sparkling heap;And the ocean's cry was the lullaby That cradled my love to sleep.
Far away on the blue Pacific There doth my lady roam,That is oft-times gay, but as oft terrific: Her jewels are beads of foam:In a coral cave, where a blue-green wave Keeps guard, is my lady's home.
She claps her hands, and her henchman hurries West on the sunset sheen:'Tis he who comes when a mist-wrack scurries, Skirting the deep ravine;And my heart is stirred by the loving word He carries me from my queen.
A drop distilled from a lotos flower— That is the magic keyTo unlock the cage, and my soul has power To gather itself and flee,At my love's behest, where she waits her guest In a palace beneath the sea.
Joy is ours that is almost anguish: Pain that is almost sweet:We kiss; and the ocean creatures languish Jealously at our feet:The sight grows dim, and the senses swim When I and my lady greet.
There to dream, while the soul is swooning Under a woven spell—Hushed to sleep by her tender crooning Learnt from the ocean swell—There to rest on her jewelled breast, To love and be loved as well!