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[First published 1853. Reprinted 1854, ’57.]
IN summer, on the headlands, | |
| The Baltic Sea along, | |
| Sits Neckan with his harp of gold, | |
| And sings his plaintive song. | |
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| Green rolls beneath the headlands, | 5 |
| Green rolls the Baltic Sea. | |
| And there, below the Neckan’s feet, | |
| His wife and children be. | |
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| He sings not of the ocean, | |
| Its shells and roses pale. | 10 |
| Of earth, of earth the Neckan sings; | |
| He hath no other tale. | |
| |
| He sits upon the headlands, | |
| And sings a mournful stave | |
| Of all he saw and felt on earth, | 15 |
| Far from the green sea wave. | |
| |
| Sings how, a knight, he wander’d | |
| By castle, field, and town.— | |
| But earthly knights have harder hearts | |
| Than the Sea Children own. | 20 |
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| Sings of his earthly bridal— | |
| Priest, knights, and ladies gay. | |
| ‘And who art thou,’ the priest began, | |
| ‘Sir Knight, who wedd’st to-day?’— | |
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| ‘I am no knight,’ he answer’d; | 25 |
| ‘From the sea waves I come.’— | |
| The knights drew sword, the ladies scream’d, | |
| The surplic’d priest stood dumb. | |
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| He sings how from the chapel | |
| He vanish’d with his bride, | 30 |
| And bore her down to the sea halls, | |
| Beneath the cold 1 sea tide. | |
| |
| He sings how she sits weeping | |
| ’Mid shells that round her lie. | |
| ‘False Neckan shares my bed,’ she weeps; | 35 |
| ‘No Christian mate have I.’— | |
| |
| He sings how through the billows | |
| He rose to earth again, | |
| And sought a priest to sign the cross, | |
| That Neckan Heaven might gain. | 40 |
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| He sings how, on an evening, | |
| Beneath the birch trees cool, | |
| He sate and play d his harp of gold, | |
| Beside the river pool. | |
| |
| Beside the pool sate Neckan— | 45 |
| Tears fill’d his cold blue eye. | |
| On his white mule, across the bridge, | |
| A cassock’d priest rode by. | |
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| ‘Why sitt’st thou there, O Neckan, | |
| And play’st thy harp of gold? | 50 |
| Sooner shall this my staff bear leaves, | |
| Than thou shalt Heaven behold.’— | |
| |
| The cassock’d priest rode onwards, | |
| And vanish’d with his mule. | |
| And Neckan in the twilight grey | 55 |
| Wept by the river pool. | |
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| In summer, on the headlands, | |
| The Baltic Sea along, | |
| Sits Neckan with his harp of gold, | |
| And sings this plaintive song. | 60 |
